Alice in Edward's Hands
by xXxPhoenixXxRisingxXx
Summary: Please excuse the title. When the new girl in town finds the world of suburbia to be a regular nightmare, she finds solace in the one person, on the one lonely hill, who knows just what it's like not to belong. EdwardxOC.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One:**

A/N: Another attempt at an Edward Scissorhands sequel. I only own Alice and my plot and other assorted characters my mind came up with. Everything else belongs solely to Tim Burton. Hope you enjoy!

There was no difference between the burning of her lungs and the frigid sting of the hazy dusk air, at least not to the willowy girl bounding over the slanted earth, climbing higher and higher up the winding hillside. The altitude wore down upon her shoulders as her arms ached, pumping up and down animatedly, urging herself forward, up and around, up and around. Dense verdure grew thick, the vegetation creeping along the mere dirt trail she sprinted fervently. The fading sunlight cast an eerie glow over the world around her, and through her tousled gold curls she watched a twittering thrush* flitter towards the sinking sunlight. Alice felt her chest heave and mist clouded her shining eyes. What she would give to have such wings at her disposal!

It had all begun with the drop of a hat, she thought wryly to herself whilst urging her feet to carry her faster, in all honesty. She recalled the day like it were playing before her eyes at that very moment. Michael had taken her to the movies that day, they saw some children's movie that Alice was sure had bored him to death, but he never made a single protest. Michael was sweet like that, taking Alice in when his sister was taken in a terrible car crash. The young man had barely been an adult at the time, hardly ready to take in his mewling baby niece, but more than willing.

He even took her out to their favorite ice cream after the movie that particular day. They were celebrating something, Alice was sure of it as she recalled, not that it mattered what. What did matter, however, was that moment when, while listening to the pleasant bustle of the sundrenched San Francisco streets on that little sidewalk café a bright peach hat swept past in a rush of taffeta and silk.

Everything was a blur of cherry lipstick and sharp amber eyes after that. Oh- she thought to herself- Alice had been turning ten that very day, when Portia blew into their lives.

Gracefully snatching the hat by the brim, Michael swept into a deep bow before the lithe woman, giving his lopsided grin. "Your hat, my Lady."

"Why thank you, my liege." Portia had held her fingers in front of her lips to muffle her giggles.

Sitting alone then at their abandoned table, Alice watched between her melting ice cream and the scene unfolding before her.

Panting heavily, Alice felt her heart race in her chest as the howls of the ruffians just turning the corner behind her. Biting her tongue, she fought back her tears. No use showing fear, she thought, it's never done much good for her anyhow. Why did Michael chose to move here? This black hole of cheap pastel and leering eyes.

Wracking her brains, she remembered the big church wedding and the blur of peach and flowing champagne. It was five years later when Portia was finally ready to settle down with Michael. It had been a troublesome few years of strenuous perusing, on Michaels part, and much miscommunication and heartbreak. Alice had been away in boarding school up north while the happy couple began their new life. But when Michael got a promotion when his company expanded, he found a sunny yellow house tucked away in a little piece of real estate heaven called Suburbia.

Alice forced her bleary eyes to look ahead at the looming structure that she ran towards. The dark stone matched her steadily gloomier future as the rough hollers rang in her ears from behind her. They were smashed of course, those boys. That's what teenagers in this town did when it was Saturday night and there were painfully vulnerable girls wandering the streets.

The light was flickering away fast and Alice bit her lip until she tasted metallic blood. But there was no time for that.

There was never time, not anymore. Not for movies or ice cream or anything of the sort for Michael anymore. As soon as they had moved here, not three days ago, he had been flying to this state and that to different branches to interview the managers and asses the premises' and things of that nature. Michael had longed to be a carpenter and create things, like the beautiful grandfather clock that now resided in Alice's room because Portia wanted to throw the 'old thing' out. Now he traveled across the country to hardware stores, a craftsman, a Michelangelo, as Alice liked to call him in secret, always amongst the tools of his passion, but never a moment to tarry, to sculpt, to carve or create. He used to build things, such marvelous things, in Alice's opinion, but nevermore.

"You can't run forever, little mouse!" One of them slurred, practically at her heels, as Alice could smell the beer, the rum and cokes upon their breath. What was his name again, she thought whilst winding up the ever sloping mountain. Brian? Brandon? No- it was Bart. Him and his gang of empty-headed goons.

He was always causing trouble for Alice, she thought, grinding and gnashing her teeth in blind fury. She had never done a single thing to him!

She started school as any other new student would, showed up to each class, stood before her unwilling audience, before the blank stares and cruel smirks, struggling valiantly to recite her name and a few simple truths about herself.

"Hello." She forced a small, sheepish smile, tucking some loose strands of golden hair behind her ear and growing weary of this routine by the sixth period. "My name is Alice Dodgson. I was named after Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I come from San Francisco and I moved here last Saturday."

Sinking back into her chair, she would wait for the rush of murmurs to fade away before the lessons began.

"Psst. Hey, new girl!" With a sharp poke at her slender shoulders, a deep, masculine voice prodded at her.

"Um, hi." She gazed uneasily at the boy, trailing her green apple eyes up his strong jaw line, over his glinting copper stubble and handsomely curled lips.

She found herself stuttering while admiring his gelled back locks of penny colored hair, his ocean blue eyes and pearly white teeth. He began to speak but she could only focus on the perfect way his lips moved, two gentle waves dancing in the sea of cream colored skin of his face. She would laugh, a tinkling bells sort of noise, whenever he would grin at something witty he said. Alice was a hopeless glob of mold in his skilled hands.

"See you 'round." He shrugged as Alice jumped, startled at the sound of the bell.

Alice swallowed hard, trying not to look too embarrassed. "'Kay."

Bart, that was his name. The only piece of information she had managed to retain was his name.

How stupid she had been, Alice now thought, the black iron gate approaching fast. It seemed a sinister coil of dark prongs to poor Alice, who simply wanted to flee home. That wouldn't do her any good anyhow; her sensible mind contradicted her, seeing as Portia forgot to give me the new spare key, and how she and Michael were long gone on another excursion. He at more board meetings about the battery operated screwdrivers, while Portia enjoyed her weekend at the spa.

"Wha- oh!" She stumbled over a stray rock and fell victim to a terrible tumult, tearing the cotton hem of her spring green dress on a thorn bush upon scrambling to her feet once more.

She was always a klutz, she had thought to herself the second day of her new school, having dropped all her books just before sixth period. It was a Friday and she was more than eager to run home and forget this awful place, if only for a few days. Groaning, she quickly stood up, books in hand, but was met with the stare of two brutish looking young men.

"Hey there." One of them greeted, giving a lopsided grin, and rather giving Alice the creeps. "Are you lost? A pretty little mouse like you shouldn't be walking all alone in a school like this."

They advanced slowly, as so not to frighten her, but it was too late, as Alice swiftly sidestepped them and felt her face flush.

"Yes." She nodded, trying to sound bolder than she felt. "I might run into two lunatics."

Their wolfish laughter made her heart sink, they had her cornered, she found to her dismay, both of them having backed her into the space between the stairs and the adjacent wall. Despite her fear, she tried to squash past them, only to end up with their faces pressed close to hers.

"Hey, don't be like that." The other, harrier one sneered. "We just wanna help."

Alice peered around them, but to her great disdain, the only potential help came from those throngs of girls from her gym period that hadn't taken too kindly to someone who creamed them at volleyball. They tossed their hair and sniffed, vanishing in groups of leering faces, leaving Alice to fend for herself.

"I-I really have to get to class." Alice squeaked when one of them tried to touch her hair. "The bell's gonna ring any moment."

Just when she was sure no one would save her, out of the mist came her savior. Over the heads of the two gorillas's Alice spotted a head of copper hair.

"Hey guys." Bart grinned, pulling the two away as if they were made of tissue paper. "Leave the mouse alone. Can't you see she's scared?"

Alice knew then, as she wrapped her shaking hands around the gate's bars and pulled with all her might, that she should have known. She should have seen Bart not as her savior from the wolves but as their pack leader. Spellbound, she listened to him that day, speaking about a rager he and his crew were throwing on Saturday, how much fun it would be… if she would come.

The morning of Saturday had come and Alice was up with the dawn, fixing her makeup and rifling through her boxes of clothing, as she had not yet unpacked everything into her new closet. No, this dress was too summery, no, that one was too long, too short, too pink, too plain, too bright, too see-through, too casual, and that one too dressy. Finally, with one fell swoop, her hands fished out a thin cotton summer dress that was a cross between mint and green apple, matching her eyes exactly. It had thin spaghetti straps and the top tied around her waist, bringing just enough attention to her well budding breasts, but also fanning out modestly at the hips to show her slim but curved figure. The length fell to just above her knees, her slender legs peaking out splendidly and a pair of gold ballet flats below to match as well.

Michael and Portia had left the after Alice left for the strip mall in town for some simple jewelry, locking the door securely in their wake. Blissfully unaware that Portia had forgotten to give Alice the spare key, she walked to town, too excited to take the bus, and shopped around with her small supply of money. She found a stunning gold colored necklace with a heart locket that was right within her price range. She was even delighted to find that the heart was made up of a curling, twisting pattern of metal that shaped into a golden rose at the center.

Still too early to start towards Bart's house back in the neighborhood, Alice sat in the town's diner, sipping cokes and watching the clock. When, at last, it was quarter to four, she paid the check and skipped to the other side of town, towards their houses. Alice could hardly stand the unsettling pallid colors of her town, but even such an eyesore as that could be adjusted to in time, she supposed.

"Alice!" Bart had exclaimed with excitement when she had rung the doorbell.

She was swept into the chaos of the party, mobs of teens thrashing to the pounding music and tipping back neon colored drinks. Bart offered her some relentlessly, a good host she ascribed it to, but each time she declined politely. Despite the safety she felt sitting in a circle of teens on the countertops in the kitchen, with Bart's hand on her knee, she also felt the uneasiness rise like bile to her throat. But this was easily quashed.

"So, mouse," One rather tipsy redheaded girl slurred towards Alice, "Have you heard of the _haunted_ _house_ yet?"

"Leave her alone, Deirdre." Bart scoffed. "Don't need to scare her, now, do we?"

"Aww… c'mon, Barty, nobody tells the story like you do!" One of the original goons whined.

Alice squirmed noticeably.

"It's okay." Bart grinned, eliciting a fleeting smile from her. "I'll tell it. Y'know that house up on the hill there?"

He paused to nurse his rum and coke. Of course Alice knew the house on the hill. How could she not miss the stain of dreary black and grey looming above the pastel town? In fact, Alice felt rather akin to the old mansion, seeing as she and it were seemingly the only two things that didn't seem to belong there. But she nodded anyways.

"Well," Bart went on, throwing an arm around her waist, "There was once this old man up there that always watched the town below and longed to see it. He was fed up with watching young men and women living in peace while he had to live up on that hill all alone and all. No one would visit him, y'see, 'cause he had no hands and all. Lost 'em in an accident or somethin'. So he fashioned himself a new set of hands, made… entirely… of… blades. Anyways, one day it finally drove him insane, so insane he began to feel…"

Bart paused dramatically. "The _blood thirst_…"

Everyone laughed maniacally, except for Alice, who was tense as stone, her ears listening to each and every word he spoke.

"And one day, when a young girl wandered up to the top of his hill, he enticed her with a sweet, innocent voice, beckoning her closer… and closer… and closer to the shadows of his lair…"

Turning away slightly, Bart's free hand disappeared from view.

"The foolish girl did not realize his madness and when she treaded upon his home, but, with one… fell… swoop-!" With a loud 'zing!' Bart sliced the air with a butcher's knife he snatched from the cutting board.

Everyone screamed, even the boys, but none as loudly as Alice, who leaped from the counter entirely. Soon smug grins turned on her and laughter, vile and spiteful, was targeted at her. Rushing from the room, Alice felt hot tears sting her cheeks. Fighting her way through the crowd, she made it to the sliding backdoors and stepped out for some fresh air.

The cool spring breeze hit her face, and besides the two lovers swapping spit in the bushes to her right, it felt pretty refreshing.

"Hey, mouse," Bart called softly, sliding the door open behind her, "What happened back there?"

Sniffing, Alice tried to wipe the stray tears away, and found herself blushing bright red, with indignation as well as shyness.

"Sorry, I-" She tried to begin, but the words seemed to escape her.

"Shhh…" He pressed a finger to her lips, coming closer, so close she could smell the heavy alcohol on his breath.

Shifting away, she felt his hands grasp her forearms and he would not let go.

"Don't be scared." He grinned, his words uncouth and slurred. "We were just having a little fun… that's all."

His face dipped in closer, lips limp and seeking hers, but she turned away in disgust.

"Don't!" Alice whispered desperately, trying to fidget her way out of his grasp. "Let go. Let go!"

"Stop that!" He ordered, shaking her into submission. "Just shut up."

But before he could come any closer with his foul breath and rough manner, Alice found the instinct to stomp as hard as she could upon his left foot.

Howling in pain, Bart staggered back as Alice rushed back inside. She heard him holler something to his 'buddies' and her heart fell to the floor. Through the impenetrable throngs she pushed and shoved her way to the front door, lost several times in the currents of elbows and hips and rumps moving all around her. Finally she stumbled out the front door, hearing a terrible crash of glass and a piercing cry of "Get the mouse!"

And that's how it all started, Alice recalled while racing to yank open the iron gate. She tried to run home, but to no avail, as she had no key. Panicking, Alice broke out into a run, up the street, not caring where she was headed. Dipping past unkempt shrubs of her neighbors' yards, she lunged over thick, green lawns and found herself trotting to a stop once the harsh voices behind her began to quiet.

It was twilight and the sun cast a specter of light over the land, momentarily blinding poor Alice. As she regained her composer, she sighed and groaned audibly as she found herself staring at the dead end cul-de-sac that led to the collapsed iron gate- the road that led to the creepy old mansion on the hill.

'No way,' She thought, 'I'll just hide in some bushes until they leave, then I can sneak in through my windo-'

"There she is!"

Biting her lip, Alice quashed a scream that rose to her throat. Before she could think, there she was at the top of the hill, the raucous voices approaching quickly while she wrenched the gate at the top of the hill open just enough to ease through. Gasping, she felt the sting of the rusted metal as it tore a gash just below her right kneecap. But there was no time; she thought grimly, she needed to find something to hide behind or under.

Faced with a thick veil of vines, Alice whimpered at the throbbing in her leg as she fought her way through. The thick foliage enveloped her, encasing her in a cocoon of heavy vines and ivy leaves. Hushing her breath into a laggard, even pace, she held it as the voices closed in.

"She's gone." A gruff voice belted out.

Another, Bart's, scoffed as well as one could while intensely inebriated. "No shit, Sherlock. Anything else y'wanna point out there Cap'n Obvious?"

"How're we gonna get her now?"

"Easy, stupid, we're gonna go in there and drag 'er out!"

"I-I'm not goin' in there!"

"Why the hell… not?" Bart paused to hiccup.

Alice heard the crunch of a beer can and the scrape as it skidded across gravel and dry dirt.

"We'll it's getting late… and looks' like it might rain an…"

"Aww… look who's afraid of the big bad monster!" Bart snorted and Alice cringed.

"C'mon man! All those chicks back at the party!"

"Yeah," The other crony whined. "Forget the mouse!"

There was a long pause, Alice chewing her lip raw all the while, before the scuffle of feet began once more.

"You stupid sunsabitches." Bart slurred. "That's the best idea I've heard all night!"

Once the shuffle of shoes was long since echoed, Alice let out an excruciatingly long breath. Gathering her arms to herself, she found, to her dismay, she could not move. Thrashing against the tangle of vines, she began to sob as they felt like vile hands upon her. Then, with no warning, she fell out of them completely, falling to the earth in a heap of tears.

Wiping her face with dirt crusted hands; she lifted herself up and froze.

A/N: Oh how I love love love a good cliffhanger! I know it's been slow up to here but it will pick up in the next chapter, I promise. Please do a girl a favor and leave a review! Edward might cry if you don't…


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two:**

A/N: I almost forgot, the * in the last chapter after the word 'thrush' was supposed to indicate below that a thrush is the name of a bird, I just forgot to add that in. To clear any potential confusion, this story takes place a few years after the end of the movie, when Kim is elderly. I might add in Kim's granddaughter to keep Alice company, I am not sure. Here's another chapter, I am working hard on the next few, though my schedule is quite demanding. Reviews help though…

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and Alice and Alice's friends and family.

It was unlike anything Alice had seen before. There were streaks of colorful flowerbeds all around her among lawns of grasses green enough to rival her very neighbors' prized lawn. But amongst the rows of daisies and tulips and all assortments of roses, there were great big hedge sculptures that rose out of the earth with uncanny liveliness.

To her right loomed a sea serpent, threading gracefully in and out of the green lawn below, its little tail raised in a genial salute. On her left there stood a grand stag, its left hoof poised above the ground. There were others, but none as puzzling as the one that drew Alice close enough to touch. It was the image of a hand, a human hand, raised towards the steadily darkening skies. It was large enough for Alice to sit in its palm if she wished.

"Curious." Alice muttered, backing away from the shrubbery to gaze up close at the fairy tale like castle that rose over her head.

Wincing, she felt a fat drop of rain splatter upon her nose, the sky above amassing an armada of thick, black clouds that shaded the remains of sunlight.

She seemed charmed at its gothic design, even if it seemed ready to collapse at the very thought of an earthquake. Entranced, she wandered forth in awe, still giddy from the excitement of her discoveries, towards the front doors.

They were laden with dust and the knocker was as large as her head, but she still found the strength in her sleep deprived body to force two knocks out. She waited… one… two… three seconds before tentatively pulling at the knob.

It gave away with surprising ease but she hesitated. The rain began to fall at an alarming rate, and Alice just knew that if she tried to return home now, she would be soaked to the skin and her window would never open with slippery fingers.

"H-hello?" She whispered, creeping in with a fluttering heart.

Of course there was no answer, she thought while chiding herself, no one had lived here in God knows how long.

Shivering, she closed the door behind her and welcomed the dank heat, even if it wasn't much. When her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she found the place to be mostly deserted, a drape covered chair here or there and the cob webbed chandelier above the only décor. It was rather quiet, not a single sound to drown out Alice's still harsh breathing.

To her great curiosity, she wandered towards the far side of the entry hall, finding a rather strange looking conveyer belt of sorts. An odd contraption that she slid her fingertips over; there were little machines that held whisks and- she had to check twice- cookie cutters. What a strange place, she pondered, who lived here?

Well, she reasoned while tracing two fingers along the dusty iron banister of a narrow staircase that led so high up she had to crane her neck to see the very top, those legends mustn't be true. What kind of man fashions himself hands of knives? She almost giggled while thinking about it. Who was stupid enough to believe-

_Creak…_

Alice froze, unable to breathe, to think, to swallow. Her throat grew dry as dust in an instant. Hands, clammy and shaking, clasped to her breast as she felt every muscle in her body tense.

"H-hello?" She breathed, barely above a whisper. "Wh-who's there?"

It was the madman, here to slice her into a million little pieces and serve her on those petite crackers that had the poppy seeds in them. Well, there was no cannibalism in Bart's story, but Alice's mind had enough to brood over while she awaited her answer.

"Who's there?" She repeated, the slightest hope that it was merely the wind shining in the distance. "I know self defense!"

There was a brief pause, in which her face glowed a brilliant red at the realization that it was, in fact, just an absurdly old house that would occasionally groan or creak. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to sigh with hollow relief.

_Snip-snip… Snip…_

"Oh God…" Alice whispered, tears brimming at her eyes.

'It's just an old house!' She snapped at herself, chastising her fear like a bristling mother. 'See for yourself, just go up these old stone stairs and see for yourself!'

What was there to lose, she wondered, she would be dead by now if there was a real killer on the loose. All she had now was her self-respect and dignity, both of which would wither away if she didn't do something about it. So, with leaded steps, she made her tentative way, ascending the impossibly narrow stairs.

Once at the top, she paused for breath before wandering into what seemed to be a derelict attic. There, the moon peeked through the clouds past the large holes in the ceiling. There must have been a parting in the clouds above, for no rain seeped through the gaping holes. Here was where the roof slanted, leaving Alice slightly dizzy just staring at it with awe. Taking silent steps, she walked the length of the room, stopping at something that caught her eye.

There was a fireplace, but within it did not hold soot, but rather it was the resting place of a narrow mattress, hidden beneath a cluster of books and pages torn from magazines and news articles. Crouching, Alice examined the collage of news clippings with her mouth ajar. Who lived here?

_Snip… Snip-snip…_

Whirling around, Alice felt her heart leap to her throat as the sharp glare of metal knives glittered at her menacingly in the spring moonlight. It was not her imagination, she found, as they danced faster when she took several steps back in terror.

"Please…" Alice began, not sure what to say to a serial killer that he would not have already heard a thousand times before. "Don't… don't hurt me… I'm just a teenager! Please, don't kill me."

'Yes Alice, dear,' Her mind mocked, 'real original…'

"I won't hurt you." A timid, wavering voice called back so softly Alice wondered if she imagined it.

Gentle footsteps resounded in the shadowy realm and Alice's heart beat wildly at her chest.

"Don't come any closer!" She cried, her voice cracking feebly. "Please, just let me go! I'll go home and I won't ever tell anyone about you! I promise! Please!"

To her horror, her violently trembling knees gave out beneath her and she sank to the floor in a dirty, messy heap of tears. Gripping her knees to her chest, she shook with sobs and felt her gash reopen under her fingertips. This was the end, she thought, alone in some old mansion, killed by a madman with knives, alone. She would become another urban legend, she supposed, with her own tragic ending that would ward kids away from this place…

"Please, don't go." The voice pleaded, footsteps pattering closer.

Lifting her tear streaked face; she froze as her maniacal captor stepped into the veil of moonlight.

"Don't be scared." He began, wavering at first, as if unsure of how to entreat her. "I won't hurt you. I-I'm not finished."

Alice watched his wild mass of tangled raven hair tremble in the open breeze. He was dressed in an entire suit made of strips of shiny black leather and bright silver clasps. His face was a pallid lattice of string-like scars, his lips a livid purple, like death warmed over. And those hands, God those hands, were rows of blades as long as Alice's forearms. But what stuck Alice to the floor were those two startling black eyes.

They were too dark to be brown, but too light to be absolutely black. They were fixated upon Alice with a blend of sheepish guilt and puerile innocence. But beyond that was the look of fearful shame, tinged with melancholy, driven deeply into those eyes.

"Who are you?" Alice whispered, still trembling, but not quite so.

He folded his hands behind his back, the sudden movement startling Alice at first. "I'm Edward."

This was not the demeanor, nor the mannerisms of a killer, Alice thought, watching him stare at her as though _she_ were the serial killer. He didn't even look harmful enough to swat a fly with those things!

"What happened to you?" Alice asked in wonder. "Where is your family? Your mom… or dad?"

Edward, as that was indeed his name, lowered his gaze and shuffled his leather clad feet awkwardly. "He never woke up."

"Oh…" Alice sniffed, wiping her eyes of her nearly dried tears.

Standing up, she felt her legs wobble dangerously. Edward advanced, but hesitated, as if deciding against it. There was a long pause, both of the two merely staring each other down.

"Did you make all those sculptures out in the garden?" Alice asked, feeling the weight of the silence heavily.

Edward's hands, which upon further inspection, Alice found to be made of razor sharp scissors, not knives, began to click in what she would describe as a nervous habit. "Yes."

"Oh." Alice nodded, feeling a smile creep upon her face at the remembrance of those lovely things. "They're wonderful."

Edward's eyes seemed to brighten immensely and it made Alice's heart calm to its steady rhythm. Suddenly his eyes lit up a few degrees and Alice found herself briefly entranced.

"Do you know Kim?" He asked, tapping his blades together shyly.

Alice wracked her brain a moment. "Um, I don't think so…"

His face fell so fast Alice found herself scrambling for something kind to say.

"But I'm new in town so I don't know many people yet." She said hastily. "I could ask around if you want."

His lips seemed to twitch up in what almost be called a smile.

"Who were those boys you were running from?" He asked, his eyes roving her face as if to be sure he wouldn't offend her, his voice more sure of itself.

"They…" Alice tried to find an easy explanation, beginning to see the gloomier side of things. "They were chasing me here to scare me, and now I couldn't find my way home in this storm to save my life."

Edward seemed to take a moment to process this, before turning his gaze back to her. "You can stay here…. If you'd like."

Hmm… she thought, go home now and sleep in the dank bushes, inevitably freezing to death, or staying here at the mercy of a potential killer, although he _seemed_ harmless.

"Oh, thank you." Alice smiled, watching his face soften at it. "That's really kind of you."

"There are guest bedrooms down the hall." He seemed to brighten all of the sudden. "I'll show you."

But as he turned to lead her back to the rest of the manor, he paused a moment, and turned to her once more. He spoke with a polite nature that was unheard of from most young men Alice knew. "What's your name?"

It was not rude or demanding in any fashion, not like most people asked, but curious, simply puerile.

"I'm Alice Dodgson." She answered, refraining from reaching out to shake his –er- scissors.

He seemed delighted at the sound of it, padding along in his unusually cheerful gait, hands held out in front of him, slouching ever so slightly to keep an even weight distribution. He seemed so sweet, Alice thought, how lonely he must be, living in a gloomy old place like this. Well, at least he keeps the gardens cheerful.

They paused at a dark wood door and Edward waited patiently for Alice to realize he himself could not open it. Pushing it open, Alice found an amiable guest room, complete with dust laden bed and gothic furniture. Rain stained the glossy windows and the moon shone, giving the room some light.

"Thanks again, Edward." Alice gave a soft smile. "I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem." He replied meekly, shuffling his feet and clicking his scissors noisily.

"I'll see you in the morning." She said, sliding the door shut between them.

"Goodnight Alice." He bid her farewell and she could hear him padding away before the door snapped shut.

Pacing to the bed, Alice collapsed and clutched her swollen, bleeding knee. Tearing a piece of her dress' hem, she tied it securely around her knee. It wasn't exactly sterile, but for then it would do. She pulled back the down coverlet of the bed and shook the bulk of the dust from it, hoping no spiders had made a homestead therein. Musing about brushing teeth and a nice, hot bubble bath, Alice slipped into the silk sheets and felt her own body heat radiate back to her, sheltering her from the bitter cold outside.

It would have seemed impossible for her to fall asleep in such gruesome conditions, but when she kicked off her slippers and her head hit the pillow, which she had to beat the dust from, she found herself slipping into a deep, restful slumber.

A/N: I aim to please, but I can't tell if my plight is successful without some lovely reviews! So, if you would kindly turn your attention to the little green lettered box at the bottom of the screen…


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three:**

A/N: A special thanks to Paiva, I wish my computer could spell that all pretty like it should, but alas it cannot. I was this close *holds up index finger and thumb a hair's breadth apart* to giving up on this story. But there was your kind review and now I'm back on track. For that I thank you sincerely.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Edward Scissorhands, but if I did, the ending would be much happier! I only own Alice and my own characters.

The dawn after the storm, which had raged into the passing hours of the morning, was a serendipitously pastoral, the serene morning light streaming through the castle windows. The shafts of brilliant sunlight crept from the floor to the foot of Alice's makeshift bed, slinking its way to her tranquil face. Rousing from her unusually dreamless sleep, Alice let her curled lashes flutter open, her golden locks splayed out beneath her face.

Sitting up, taking a gratuitously deep breath, she stretched in a feline fashion before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, which was so high off the floor she felt her heart skip a beat as she leaped from it. She winced slightly as her sleep tender feet met the stone cold floor before she found her slippers, askew across the floorboards.

"I wonder where Edward went." She pondered aloud while readjusting her dress, which had shifted in her sleep.

Wandering out the door, only after politely making up the bed, she found the entire manor to be much more agreeable in the daytime. Although still considerably vast and intimidating, she thought it was rather romantic, in a twisted, gothic sort of fashion. Finding her way through the labyrinthine halls and down the many sets of stairs, she could not find her metallic handed host.

Finally, she opened the door to the garden and was overwhelmed with the smell of the new morning drifting in on a warm, spring breeze; picking up the lovely floral scents it carried. Pausing to soak up the rays of sun, pleasant upon her skin, she blinked and heard the most peculiar sounds.

_Snip-snip-snip… snip… snip-snip…_

Smiling to herself, she skipped around the hand sculpture and found Edward clipping stray green locks from the face of a preening buck. His countenance showed no signs of heedlessness to his creation; he was utterly at the mercy of his work, his every motion careful and collected, prejudged and executed with the severest of agilities. Alice felt like a mere pageboy standing behind the fervently employed De Vinci, marveling at his masterpiece.

"It's beautiful." Alice found herself thinking aloud, like she often did when she wasn't wary.

Turning on his heels, Edward's face turned from shock to sheepish modesty to passive pleasance so fast Alice hardly had the time to watch.

"Thank you." He said politely, snipping a rebellious twig from the visage of a squirrel next to her.

"Did-did you learn to do this all by yourself?" She asked, rather amazed.

He seemed to ponder this, unease rising in his features. "Yes. Is that a bad thing?"

Alice felt giggles bubbling to her throat, though she stifled them promptly. He seemed so nervous, as if a single misstep and she would run away screaming.

"No, not at all." She smiled warmly, bending to smell one of the white roses that grew clustered next to the others in the bush. "You have real talent. From my house this place up here looks so gloomy and frightening. But the truth is, you've made something beautiful up here, even if no one can see it."

Another pause ensued, Edward calculating each of her words with sage-like silence and solemnity. After a beat, his eyes flashed with curiosity to her legs.

"You're bleeding." He bit his lip in worry, pondering if he had done the deed somehow and just didn't remember it.

"Oh," Alice glanced down at her wound, the makeshift bandage having slipped off in the night, "It's nothing. Just a scratch, really. I cut myself on the gate last night."

The gash had reopened recently and was now oozing little scarlet droplets. Edward seemed anxious at the sight of it. Did blood make him squeamish? Alice wondered this just before her stomach made its demands known in a tremendous, audible lurch.

"I should go get this cleaned up." She resolved, also eager to sink her teeth into something to eat. "You can come with me. I live just down the street. We can have breakfast there, at my house."

His eyes shone with fear, those dark orbs flitting between her and the gate, his scissors clinking as he thought. "I… can't go down there."

"Oh…" Alice nodded, pensive as to why but too tactful to ask. "I have to go," His face fell at this. "But I'll be back soon, I promise."

He seemed pacified by this vow, although his countenance betrayed his calm demeanor, showing traces of doubt. Relenting, he nodded and walked her to the gate.

Before she could begin to claw her way back through the massive tangle of vines, Edward swiped his fingers over the mess and away it fell to the ground below, revealing the grand entrance to his home and her way back to town. Bidding him farewell, Alice shut the gate behind herself and felt his tentative gaze upon her back as she began her lengthy journey back to her house.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please do me a favor and leave a comment. I was rather bleary eyed when I wrote this so please understand if my grammar or word choice is a little less than perfection. I hope to update soon, although my current location (seaside, Mediterranean, I love it) isn't exactly the best place for internet connection. But my hiatus from home is coming to an end, so in all likelihood it may take me longer to update sooner than later. (I hate planes!! )


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four:**

A/N: Fifteen hours of airline hell! But I am back home and the sweet internet connection is mine at last!! Mwahahaha! Anyways… I hope this chapter pleases, I am now forming my ideas for the plot of this story (great forethought, I know, haha) so bear with me.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I own nothing but Alice and my characters blah blah blah…

Alice ground her teeth as she pried her second story window open. Swaying dangerously from the towering maple, she felt her body lurch suddenly as her only way into the house finally gave way under her determined fingers. Springing forward, she landed haphazardly into her full sized bed, which conveniently enough was positioned right below the window. Sighing, she calmed her nerves, wracked at the thought of tumbling to the rough earth below from the tree, and collected herself enough to examine her current condition in the mirror.

She was a perfect mess, she thought sullenly, her dress was soiled and torn, her kneecap a bloody massacre. Even her hair, which was a mass of tangled curls atop her head, smelled like sour milk. Wrinkling her nose, she hobbled to her bathroom and cranked on the showerhead, rummaging around the cabinets for a towel.

She found her towel, but what's more, she found an assortment of cleaning supplies, gloves and sanitizers and dusting materials. Smiling, she gathered them all up and threw them in a plastic bag. Shivering, she slipped off her dress and stepped into the beckoning warmth of the shower.

Stepping out, after cleaning and dressing her wound with the first aid kit in the cabinet, she reapplied a touch of mascara and foundation, just enough to brighten her eyes up a bit, before returning to her room. Fishing through her boxes of clothes, which she had yet to unpack, she gazed out at the brilliant sunlight out her window and pulled on a white strapless fitted top that flowed down from the bust line, printed with delicate daffodils tossing in the breeze. Picking out a pair of light skinny jeans, she slipped on clean white ballet flats. She wore her favorite sliver bow shaped dangling earrings and her locket, which she never took off, hung between her breasts, shining in the light.

Alice bit her lip, glancing at her tousled wet hair, resolving to twist it up into an elegant bun, although several stubborn curls framed her fair face. She deemed herself respectably dressed and rushed downstairs with her cleaning supplies in tow.

Throwing her supplies into her backpack, she headed to the kitchen in search of sustenance. Grabbing a banana and an egg salad sandwich from the fridge, she found the spare house key in the cupboard above it. Munching on her brunch while locking the door, she finished her banana and tossed the peel into the soil of her house's meager garden, thinking of how it would help nurture the pitiful looking plants. Unwrapping her sandwich, she satiated her hunger while beginning the perilous trip up the mountain.

"Edward?" She called, reaching the gate, her backpack now heavy upon her shoulders. "Edward? Are you there?"

Sliding the gate shut, she watched, smiling, as he emerged, skipping down some steps along the side of the mansion, clipping stray twigs upon his sculptures in the process. He paused at a safe distance from her, his eyes bright and full of hope, although his countenance did betray that irreparable tinge of apprehension.

"You came back." He said, his lips turned up in the ghost of a smile.

Alice shrugged off her backpack and unzipped it, tossing in her sandwich wrapper. "Of course I did. I promised you, didn't I?"

He seemed bashful at this, and clicked his scissors sheepishly.

"I brought something." Alice opened her bag further to show her bounty of cleaning supplies, although he didn't seem to understand. "I thought I'd clean this place up a bit, just to brighten it up. I… I hope you don't mind…"

"I don't mind." He said rather cheerfully.

They both headed indoors and Alice set her bag upon the conveyer belt of the sugar cookie machine, producing from it a feather duster and a bottle of wood polish. She began at the top of the narrow staircase, dusting the thick netting of cobwebs that spun around the iron banister.

"May I help?" Edward asked shyly, watching her in pensive silence.

"Sure," Alice handed him the duster, making sure he could hold it between the blades of his thumb and index finger. "You finish the dusting and I'll start on the floor. Do you have a mop and broom?"

"In that closet, over there." He pointed, wary not to slice poor Alice's nose clean off, to the corner of the grand entrance, where a lone door stood.

"Okay." She nodded and indeed found a mop and pail as well as a faded straw broom within it.

Sweeping the floor, she watched as Edward concentrated on freeing the banister of each speck of dust and cobweb, stirring the falling debris into piles near the front door. Taking a dusty white cloth covering from one of the few chairs at the front of the room, Alice spread it upon the floor and swept up all the dust and filth from their labors onto it, lifting the corners when she finished, tying them off before disposing of it. To do so, Alice walked out to the edge of the mountain, outside the gate, and shook the contents free.

Returning, she found Edward dusting the metal contraption that seemed to make cookies. Smiling, she found the mansion's kitchen in the back behind the staircase and filled the pail from the closet with water from the tap, mixing in some of the wood polish.

It took at least an hour to mop the entire downstairs, even with Edward's help. She found that, once the grime was washed away, the floor was a checkered pattern of dull rosy grey and light grey. Taking a bottle of Windex from her bag, she used some linen cloths from the kitchen cupboards to wipe the windows clean. Hanging over the edge of the banister, she bit her lip as she strained to wipe the last of the highest window spotless. But just as she finished, her foot, still a bit sudsy from mopping, slipped on the stone steps and she felt herself beginning to fall from her great height.

But before she could react, she felt the sting of metal upon her elbow and was set back on her feet once more. Gasping, she turned to find Edward, shaking fearfully, his right hand's blades smeared with thin trickles of scarlet blood. Lifting her arm, she saw the sinewy lines where he had severed her skin, the blood slowly seeping from her wounds.

"I-I'm sorry." He stuttered, over and over again he apologized while she stared in shock.

Finally her lips reanimated themselves. "Don't worry Edward."

She used one of the clean linen's and wiped herself clean. "It was an accident, don't worry. I'm fine, don't be sorry."

She began to wipe her blood off his blades, although he cringed away at first, but her hands were gentle and wary.

"You saved me." She said, ignoring the pain long enough to smile winningly. "I could have broken my neck if I had fallen. But you saved me. Thank you, Edward."

He seemed a trifle bit convinced, although his previously self assured demeanor was thoroughly shattered. Alice felt as if she had committed a foul deed against him, from the way he nervously stammered about now. Finding some sterile band aids in her backpack, for she was indeed a clumsy person anyhow, and applied them generously. After all, she thought whilst patching herself up, her wounds were nothing but superficial.

Meanwhile, Edward gazed with bitter contempt at his metallic contraptions for hands, wishing with all that he knew that he were just a normal boy with normal hands who wouldn't be such a danger to people, especially those whom he cared for. His mind began to ponder about his newfound friend, that is, if she were in fact his friend. She seemed to shrug off his apologies, making her best efforts to keep him happy, the way Peg Boggs had. The way that Kim had.

"Edward?"

Snapping to attention, he glanced at Alice's elbow, which was now covered in strips of things that she had called 'band aids'.

"Yes." He replied, his mind reeling.

She was going to upbraid him, as she should. She would holler at him thoroughly and take her leave, leaving him alone and desolate up here upon his mountain.

"I'm all better," She grinned, flashing him her arm of band aids for him to see, "See?"

Alice was relieved to find him ease a bit at her cheery disposition. How could she not be jubilant, with the way the sunlight now poured into the manor through crystal clean windows, it was enough to bring a smile to even Edward's own lips.

Alice led them both back out into the garden; sitting upon the grass and watching the clouds drift by lazily. Edward sat cross-legged beside her and listened as she spoke. She told him everything she could think of, about Michael and how much Edward would like him, about Portia and how disagreeable she could be, and about moving here. Edward was an excellent listener, only piping up to ask what something like an 'iPod' or an 'airport' was. He once remarked that he often saw airplanes passing over the mountain and he had previously only thought them to be rather large, stiff birds. Alice got quite a kick out of that.

Alice wondered how long Edward had been up there and asked him. He went on to explain his odd past, about how he loved the inventor, his tragic death, and the many lonesome years that followed. He also spoke of a kind Avon lady that had brought him down to the town once, which Alice found quite interesting; about the trouble he had seemed to stir, about people he liked, like Kevin and Mr. Boggs and Kim. He spoke quite a bit about Kim. He also spoke of people that Alice could tell he did not like, such as most of the neighborhood women, and a young man named Jim. Edward almost scowled when he spoke of Jim, which nearly scared Alice.

But the end of his tale was just as forlorn as his visage when he told it. Kim had deceived the town into believing him dead, just to be sure he would live in peace, even if it was without her. Upon hearing this, Alice felt two gorged tears slip down her cheeks, which frightened Edward.

"Oh," She waved him away, wiping her face dry, and her heart twisting with pain. "I'm fine. It's just so sad, that's all."

When the sun had made its highest arc in the sky and was slowly coming to rest, nestling into the horizon, Alice found herself itching to get home before Michael and Portia. The shadowing haze cast around Edward's garden was enchanting to say the least, and Alice found it rather hard to say her goodbyes.

"Edward," She caught his attention, "I have to go home now-" She caught his downtrodden look and hastily went on. "But I'll come back tomorrow after school, I promise."

He seemed to brighten at this and followed her silently as she went back indoors to retrieve her backpack, walking her to the gate as well.

"Bye Edward!" She called, glancing over her shoulder as she made her way back down the hillside.

"Goodbye." He waved, his scissors flashing in the fading light.

Just as Alice was setting her dirty dishes into the dishwasher, the front door came bursting in.

"We're HO-OME!"

"Michael!" Alice hollered and leaped into her uncle's arms like a child, barely giving him enough time to carefully set aside a rather large plastic box of sorts.

He ruffled her hair, his bright laughing blue eyes glistening. "Miss me?"

Portia slinked in, setting her suitcase aside and sauntering up the stairs almost instantly.

"Portia?" Michael called. "Aren't you going to say hello?"

"Oh, dear," Portia's simpering voice mewled. "It's been such a long flight, and I'm so tired! Can't I get a moment's rest?"

Her footsteps clicked up the staircase and she vanished around the corner at the top. Michael turned to Alice and they erupted in a fit of laughter, although quiet enough not to draw her attention. Portia may have been a little high maintenance, but she had the senses of a hawk.

"So…" Alice poked Michael in the stomach accusingly. "What'cha get me?"

"Oh," Michael turned away in mock indignation, "That's what this is all about, is it? Well, missy, I must say I've had enough of your shenanigans!"

His voice was deathly serious, but his countenance betrayed his humor when he turned back around while holding the plastic box, which was in actuality an average sized kennel.

"I puppy!" Alice squealed, reaching inside once Michael opened the side and gently pulling out a slinky soft mess of golden fur.

"Yup." Michael nodded, rather pleased with himself. "I bought it at the pet shop in town today after we landed. Portia is… well… you know how she is with animals. So I expect you to take good care of him."

"Him?" Alice pondered, holding the golden yellow lab in her arms as a mother would cradle her newborn baby. "He's so adorable."

Indeed he was. He was of a small stature, but made up for it with a lovably button black nose and paws that would take him weeks to grow into. He stared up at Alice with coal black eyes, tail flapping against her side, and his bright eyes turned her thoughts to Edward.

"Well," Michael prodded her, "What're you gonna name him?"

"Hmm…" Alice thought pensively as she stared down at her golden present. "I like the name Jack."

"Jack?" Michael repeated, saying it over and over under his breath as he stalked the kitchen for food, as if to remember it. Michael was terrible at remembering names, unfortunately.

Alice carried little Jack up to her room, along with some puppy supplies that Michael had bought, and set up his little bed in the corner of her room, knowing that he would be sleeping in her bed regardless. She snapped on his tiny red collar and watched his little rabies vaccination and other tags clink against one another, resolving to buy him a name tag later that week.

She watched him gallop around her room from her seat the bed, laughing as he would sidle up to one of her boxes of unpacked clothing and suddenly pounce upon it, tail wagging and tongue lolled out comically. When his eyes shone with exhaustion, she called him over and scooped him up to her breast where he lay fast asleep. Laying back so her shoulders rested upon her headboard, she gazed out at the moon rising up over the mansion on the hill out her window. Jack's hind leg twitched in his sleep and Alice wondered if Edward slept.

He didn't seem entirely human, although he was certainly more humane than anyone around here. Did he eat or sleep like anyone else? Would he like Jack? Was he afraid of animals? Her thoughts followed her even as her mind slipped into dreams, her body lax against her headboard. Her last thought, however, regarded the fact that her legs would certainly be stronger after so many trips up the impossibly high mountain.

A/N: Thank you to Emcaro and Paiva, your comments are lovely and I appreciate the enthusiasm. I'll try to write this as fast as I can, although I am still a little off (by around ten hours time difference to be exact). God I need sleep… :P


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five:**

A/N: Hello! I feel much rested and began this chapter in the best of moods today. I don't own Edward Scissorhands and all that jazz… blah blah blah. Anyways, in my absence, I found I have missed out on so much good music in America! Who is this Ke$ha and why does her voice make me think Kanye somehow? Also, 30 seconds to Mars has a new album! Ahhhh (Angels' chorus sings)…** Anywho**, I have a few bits of info that can _enhance_ your reading. I found that I rather like the image of the lead singer of the band The Script to be the character of Michael and a younger Jennifer Connelly to be Portia. Also, the song that Alice plays in this is the live version of Joe Hisaishi's One Summer's Day. Here is the youtube link, do watch and listen, it's so beautiful: .com/watch?v=d1ni1sVCgEk Also, if you are wondering what exactly Alice looks like, here: ./_ I don't know if it's Hillary Duff, it kinda looks like her, but I don't care. Please enjoy:

The week passed sooner than Alice anticipated, not that she had given it much thought, and she spent her days as a juggler of schedules. She would awaken, feed Jack, dress and leave for school, suffer through school, leap out the door at final bell, race home to let Jack out and feed him, pack a snack and head up the mountain after putting her puppy down for a nap. That was her favorite time of the day, she felt, sitting with Edward, who listened to every detail of her day as if it were in fact the highlight of his own. It was nice to have someone to talk to, she reasoned, after all no one had tried to make social contact with her since the party.

Bart had kept his distance, wary eyed whenever she stepped anywhere near him. It wasn't as if she was a hermit, quite the opposite, in fact she had been the friend of many back home in San Francisco. But here it seemed as if she were speaking a different language, every word slipping off her tongue sloppily to them. But not to Edward, he was an angelic listener.

He knew just when to look puzzled, surprised, disheartened, and when to smile pleasantly. Alice could not wait to climb the steep hill each day and lie back in the neatly trimmed grasses beside her friend and watch the haze of clouds drift by nonchalantly until the stars began poking out and she reluctantly returned home.

She and Edward had proficiently cleaned up the rest of the mansion, Alice herself opening doors that Edward hadn't visited in years. One such room was the elegant, yet ancient, ballroom. It was a circular room, with a glass dome for a roof, open and clear enough to watch the stars at night, she wondered, what a view it must provide. But beyond the rising stone columns and polished marble floor, something in the distance caught her eye.

Upon further inspection, she found, to her great delight, a Steinway. Ripping away the dusty coverlet, she ran her fingers reverently against the sleek white keys, tracing the ink black ones as well. While Edward watched her carefully from behind, she sat herself comfortably at the bench, which was sturdy beyond all measure of time, and began to stretch her fingers over the keys, scathing over a few and eliciting a sweet melody from the age old instrument. It was in perfect tune.

Her heart did a summersault and she pressed on further, starting slowly and building up a fervently melancholy, although breathtakingly sweet, song from the piano. She thought, I the very least, her fingers would feel a bit rusty, but this wasn't so, not at any rate.

Edward watched her, his scissors clinking softly in time, although the rhythm often changed. He was in utter awe, staring at such nimble fingers that danced so elegantly across the keyboard. She was liken to a new mother, cradling those keys in her hands like a suckling baby. And the sound- Oh! The sound she produced was enough to make his heart beat wildly in his chest. The noise echoed pleasantly through the ballroom, and he found himself imagining it were he in the seat, creating such wonderful music, with such beautiful hands!

But reality came crashing down as the bittersweet melody slowly came to a close. His heart felt something it hadn't in such a long time. It twisted painfully and he pressed a cool metal fingertip to the black leather over it, in awe of his feelings.

"Edward?" Alice pulled him into reality with her tentative voice. "You okay? You look… so sad. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you cry!'

At once, Edward felt the mist in his eyes, clouding his vision, and his fingertips flickered up to feel the brimming tears, but he only felt the sting of them across the tender skin below his left eye.

"Oh!" Alice jumped up and rushed to his side, startling him. "Don't worry, I'll clean it up."

His tears seemed to vanish as she pressed a clean linen to his face, her soft touch suspending him in place. Alice's lips parted unconsciously as she gingerly wiped his paper white skin free of the scarlet mess. Although he didn't notice at first, Edward's eyes fluttered shut as she ran her cool, smooth fingertip over his new wound, creating a tremendous heat where she traced. This didn't go unnoticed by Alice, who felt her hands working of their own accord now. They skimmed across his other scars, over his nose and cheeks, down to his chin, all the way to the slope of his jaw. His skin was porcelain, when not marred by thick scars, she found, and she smiled as it turned faintly rosy under her feathery touch.

"Better?" She asked, her face suddenly hot and her hands at her sides.

Snapping from his reverie, Edward numbly nodded, his face subconsciously leaning in, searching for those soothing hands.

"It doesn't hurt," She went on, her voice shaking a bit. "Does it?"

"No." Was his definitive answer, shaking his head fervently.

Alice pondered this incident for days afterwards, although Edward had not said a word about it. It were as if nothing had happened. But, she thought, what _had_ happened? Nothing, she resolved, rinsing off her dog one Sunday night, giving him a bath. She cleaned his cut, that's all.

Then why do I feel guilty, she asked herself, what was I thinking? Pawing at my only friend here as if he were a shiny new plaything. No, she shook her head, dousing her yapping puppy with suds, only to have him wriggle out of her grasp and try to fling himself over the side of the tub. She was just being a good friend, and friends touched chastely, didn't they?

The next morning, Alice was awoken by the feather soft kisses of her darling baby Jack. Well, it would have been as sweet, if it were not five in the morning. Pushing him off sullenly, Alice sighed and rose, going through the motions of preparing for another monotonous day of school. Her puppy whined fervently at her door, pawing and scratching at it pitifully, as if he could break it open simply with his heartbreaking stare.

"Here,_ go_ you goof." Alice grumbled, her voice thick from sleep, opening her door and nudging him out with her foot.

Portia and Michael were both gone on business. Well, Michael was all business; Portia was more likely at the day spa. Alice rifled through her pantry when she heard the muffled whimperings of her desolate dog and curtly let him out into the postage stamp back yard. Jack jumped and yipped gleefully in the air, quickly sniffing out a good place to squat and ruin Portia's hedges.

Alice busied herself with packing a first aid kit for Edward that morning, setting aside Hello Kitty bandages for something a little more masculine. She glanced at her head in the hall mirror on her way to grab a coat when she nearly fell over. Her head was, amazingly enough, more messy than Edwards!

Grabbing a hairbrush, which wasn't hard to find when living with Portia, Alice smoothed down her devilish locks and tied it back gently with a blue silk ribbon, letting her lengthy bangs fall where they may. Slipping on her backpack, she skipped out the front door.

The walk to school was not so strenuous as one would think, especially now that Alice's legs were so well defined with sleek trim muscle from all those trips up to Edward; not that she had ever really been anything other than lean, willowy build and soft skin anyhow.

"Good morning." An elderly man tipped his hat to her from the other side of the street, the morning sun rising just over his slouching shoulders.

"Good morning." Alice smiled, then, at once a thought hit her.

'Do you know Kim?' Edwards' voice echoed in her mind.

"Excuse me?" Alice called, running over to him. "I'm new here and I was wondering, do you know anyone by the name of Kim Boggs?"

Edward had told Alice about Kim in his story about his time down here in the town. He was obvious, but Alice could tell he harbored deep emotions for her.

"Kim Boggs…" The old man paused a moment, only to let his face fall into a deep, wrinkled melancholy, although Alice was too blinded by the newborn sunlight to see much of his gentle countenance. "Oh, I know. You're looking for Delaney Lane. That's where you'll find Mrs. Hargreaves."

"Hargreaves?" Alice repeated.

"Yes," The man nodded, starting on his way again, "Kim Boggs Hargreaves. Have a nice day, my dear."

"You too." Alice muttered, the cogs in her mind at work.

Kim _Hargreaves_. That means she must have moved on, Alice thought dejectedly. Poor Edward, she went on, walking sullenly, losing his love to time. Perhaps if she went to Delaney Lane and found Mrs. Hargreaves, she could persuade Kim to come visit Edward again. What a joyous reunion that would be, she mused, Edward would be so happy…

"Delaney Lane…" Alice held up her crudely drawn map the woman at the main office, who wore far too much musky perfume for anyone's taste, had made up for her after final bell. "Delaney Lane…"

She continued her way, past the rows of pastel houses, down the streets and back alleys.

"Delaney Lane…" She paused. "Fourth Street, First Avenue…"

Glancing up she spotted the street signs and nodded, pausing, gazing down at her map for reassurance.

"Delaney Lane…" Flittering her gaze up, she froze. "What?"

Above her head was an iron gate, although not as elaborate as Edward's, which twisted at the peak to form the words: Delaney Lane… _Cemetery_.

Tears stung at her eyes. No, no, no! This was all wrong! How could Kim be dead? Stepping in, Alice paced the lovely pathway until her feet rested before a little gravestone that was carved with roses and snowflakes above her name.

"Kimberly Boggs Hargreaves," Alice read aloud, barely whispering, "Beloved Wife, Mother and Sister."

She knew it was silly to grieve a person you've never even met, but still she wept silent tears, gazing at the drooping tulips somebody had left there below her tombstone. Gazing to her left, she watched the lone, dark house up on the hill and hoped that Edward could not see her. If he did he may question her and she would hate to lie to him, for he was so sweet and pure and innocent. She simply prayed that he never brought Kim Hargreaves up in conversation again, lest Alice burst into tears and that would never do in front of Edward.

"C'mon Alice," she chastised herself stoutly, "Get it together, for Edward's sake."

Wiping away the pain from her face, she began her slow ascent to his home, careful to think of things to brighten his day with mentioning.

At Edward's insistent request, Alice played him nearly every song she knew in the ballroom. Once he was at ease, he sat beside her on the bench, hands folded in his lap with care, his eyes roaming over the keyboard as she played. Nothing seemed to cheer him like her music. Sometimes his eyes would close and Alice, her hands moving almost instinctively, could watch the slight motions of his countenance.

She observed the way his eyelashes, black and terribly thin, would flutter like feathers as his eyes moved almost undetectably under his lids. His lips would purse when the melody grew gentle and his nostrils would barely, but still, flare when she reached a strenuous crescendo. Although he had no detectable eyebrows, a highly overrated trait in Alice's opinion (as she did so hate plucking her own), the skin where they would be drew together slightly in his sad expression and she began to play a bit more of a silly tune to coax his gentle smile out from hiding.

Alice would have given anything at that moment just to see what was going on in his mind. What images did she conjure up in his brain when she played such bittersweet songs? Kim, she thought, he probably thought of her. Somehow this left a sour pit in her stomach, but she shook it off.

"You asleep?" Alice teased as he remained motionless after she tickled the keys into a whispery finish.

He opened his eyes and lowered his face bashfully. "No, I was just thinking."

They left to go watch the sunset from their usual spot in the garden. Nestled between the serpent and the leaping rabbit, Alice watched the slow procession of dark clouds flooding the horizon, inching towards the town. Edward sat beside her, watching her benevolent countenance as it gracefully transitioned from serious to playful as her eyes swept the landscape.

"What do you want to be, when you grow up, Alice?" Edward suddenly broke the comfortable silence, which was unusual for him.

Edward was curious to know, having heard the students at Kevin's school ask each other that the day he went in for the odd ritual known as 'Show and Tell'.

"Oh, I don't know." She sighed, fiddling with the hem of her shirt idly as she mused. "I'll probably be a music teacher, or something."

"You would be a good one." He smiled as she returned it winningly. "I wish I could play the way you do."

Alice thought about this, wishing she could teach him herself. But there seemed to be no way around those poor hands of his. "But you do make art, Edward."

She flourished a hand over his paradise of verdure and color. Bountiful red tulips swayed in the breeze that was quickly picking up. The neighborhood below had already fallen prey to the approaching rains, sheets falling upon unsuspecting houses. There was a long silence, in which Alice thought about her new life here. It would certainly be miserable, were it not for Edward, and for Jack of course. Why, little Jack-

"Jack!" Alice sprang to her feet at once, remembering how she let her little pup out and never bothered to let him back in. "Oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Edward was beside her, his face pinched in fear; it broke Alice's heart.

"I have to let my dog inside before he gets sick!" Alice yelled, already at the gate's archway.

"Will you be back?" Edward asked gently as she slid the gate shut behind herself.

Alice bit her lip and watched the storm rage over the darkened town. "Yeah, just stay here a minute. I'll be right back."

Running down the hill, she could feel the humidity hitting her skin. "Don't move!"

The journey down the mountain was far more fleeting that the trek up. Skipping down the last stretch of coiling earth, she felt the rain begin to pelt her like sheets of ice. By the time she huddled at her front door, scrambling to open it with trembling fingers and a slippery key, she was thoroughly soaked to the skin, shivering like a newborn child.

"Jack!" She hollered, running to the back door.

But before she could reach it, she smelled the distinct scent of cherry and vinyl that always accompanied one particular person.

"What? No 'welcome home'?" Portia sneered, standing from the kitchen table, still in her traveling slacks and tennis shoes, a wrinkled copy of Vogue in her clutches.

"I have to let Jack in." Alice wrenched the door open and almost immediately the sopping ball of matted fur launched himself inside. "You're home early."

"Michael's extended this trip." She sniffed, rifling through her magazine before tossing it into the trash bin.

"Oh." Was Alice's only reply, trying to calm her pup down. Alice hated it when Michael did that, it made the time away feel like an eternity.

"Ugh!" Portia exclaimed, pointing at the poor bundle of wracking limbs. "Get that_ thing_ away! Take it to your room! Get it _out!_"

Scooping the ball of golden, wet fur in her arms, Alice cradled him close and kissed his shaking little snout. "He's just a dog."

"I don't care." Portia turned her face away, as if the sight made her ill. "Take that soaking wet rat out of here now!"

Shaking her head, Alice carried Jack up to her bathroom and proceeded to wash the mud from his fur gently with warm water in the tub.

"My poor baby." Alice crooned, wiping his face clean, his body ceasing its convulsions. "I'm so sorry! I should have remembered to let you back in! I promise, it won't happen again."

Taking the puppy, swaddled in soft bath towels, into her room, she rocked him against her as she sat at her bed, watching the storm flood the streets. The parched lawns of her neighbors were certainly soaking it up, but Alice watched as husbands, driving home from work undoubtedly, hid under stretched newspapers as they scampered to their front doors, no doubt barking at their wives, demanding to know what she was serving for dinner.

"Shhh…" Alice cooed, her heart breaking as little Jack nuzzled closer to her warm breastbone, whimpering all the while. "I'm here."

It was over two hours before Jack was fully dried and ready to settle into bed. He seemed to be in much better spirits once Alice opened a can of soft puppy chow, feeding greedily. Alice was too disgusted with herself to eat, the sour pit in her stomach, the same from before, knotting tighter.

Settling down for sleep, she slipped into dark purple pajama pants with black hearts and a black tank before cuddling into her burgundy sheets. She gazed at the flashes of lightening that lit up fractions of the dark sky, her eyelids drooping. Lips parted, in one deep sigh, she fell into a deep slumber.

In her dream, she sat beside Edward, the day supernaturally bright and glowing around them, renting his garden alight. She felt as if lost in a Monet, the colors blurring together at the seams, beautiful but strange. Birds, made of the greenest shrubbery, drifted through the blush pink skies, their leafy wings fluttering in the breeze that smelled of lemon loaf and buttered toast. Everything had a singular glow about it, even Edward's face radiated beauty, everything moving in a jarred manner, like an old roll of film clicking away, but only in the most spectacular of colors.

"Alice," Edward smiled politely, handing her a cup of steaming tea, from a tea tray she had not noticed before. "Would you like another cup?"

"Yes, that sounds lovely. I-" She meant to say more but stopped abruptly as his silken fingertips, smooth as the teacup they carried, brushed the backs of her hands. "Edward… Your hands!"

His smile widened and she noticed the light from his eyes was almost too much to bear, rivaling the brilliant sunlight above. Alice was too stunned to speak, her eyes glued to his seamless, soft hands as they moved gracefully. It was then that she lost herself in his laughing eyes, as if he knew some secret joke that she could not herself decipher.

Reaching out her own hands, she raised them to his face, watching his smile vanish when her fingertips brushed his jaw line. His breathe hissed sharply and she retracted her limbs instantly. Where the pads of her fingertips brushed, thin slices through his skin shone with streaks of bright, bloody crimson.

Suddenly the world turned upside down on its axis. The skies were rent asunder in a violent twist of thunder and slashing lightening. The winds turned sour and howled in her ears. Edward became shrouded in darkness and she felt her eyes tearing up. Below her feet the earth shook dangerously, wracking her to the ground. Calling his name, the wind tore the words from her throat.

"Edward?" She screamed. "Edward! _Edward!_"

Alice awoke in a pool of cold sweat. Wiping away the dotted moisture that beaded at her furrowed brow, she leaped out of bed. The rain outside her window had slowed to a steady sprinkle. Something was wrong with her friend, she knew it. Call it intuition; she knew something was certainly amiss. The bitter pit in her stomach expanded and began to swell to the point of agony.

"I have to go Jack." She whispered to her gently snoring pup, caressing his snout and kissing it lovingly. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

Glancing at the clock- 3 a.m. –she thanked her lucky stars it was Saturday and she could sleep in all she wanted later, when her guilty mind was at ease. Creeping out of her house, she made sure to stuff the extra key in her pocket this time, pulling on her tennis shoes. It was impossibly dark, the only lighting from the moon, which only shone through a thin haze of grey cloud cover. Even in those conditions, she found the strength to make it to the top of the perilous mountain.

Why couldn't the old inventor have built his house in a nice little niche somewhere lower, like in a ditch, Alice grumbled to herself inwardly, what a pain it was to climb this horrible mess at the break of a still impossibly young day! Shaking her head, she scolded herself for such selfish thoughts. Something was wrong with Edward and all she could think of was the cold in her pajamas and the still wet earth that made her shoes squeak horribly.

"Edward?" She called through the darkness, the glimmer of the gate coming into view. "Edward, are you there?"

Silly question, she thought, he was nice and safe in his mansion, probably sleeping or somethi-

"Alice?" Came a timid, clearly shaking voice.

"Oh, Edward!" Alice ran to the gate and wiggled her way in. "What _happened?_"

He gazed up innocently, although tragically, at her, his face even more gaunt and, if it were possible, paler than usual. His face was pale as the moon! And his lips, normally a dull purple, faded into a dangerous near black. To top off her dose of misery, he was soaked to the bone, his hair flat against his head, shockingly, and his limbs shook tremendously, his fingers clicking noisily.

"You said 'don't move'." He said softly, almost shamefully.

"Oh, Edward." Alice burst into tears, rushing to him, pulling him into a firm embrace. "I'm sorry! I was so stupid! I don't deserve you, or Jack. I'm a terrible friend!"

Edward was motionless; his mind reeling at the feel of her arms wrapped around his middle, her warm body pressed to his miserably wet leather clad one. He did not want to startle her, so he remained still, feeling her heart beat wildly against his chest.

"Who is Jack?" Edward asked gently, just before overcome with an enormous sneeze, although backing away from her cautiously before doing so.

"Jack is my puppy; I can't believe I forgot to tell you." She answered, feeling his forehead. "My God! Edward, you're burning up!"

"What?" He asked fearfully, not seeing any such flames upon his person.

"No, you have a fever." Alice held his forearms in her hands gently, pausing a moment before going on. "I can't leave you here to suffer. You'll just have to come home with me, where it's warm and I can keep an eye on you."

"I can't go back down." He said, as he often did when Alice entreated him to join her for a lunch or some such thing.

"Yes you can," Alice soothed him, leading him to the gate, "No one will see you, and you need a warm bed to rest in so you can get well."

She hadn't even known he could get sick! It was a wonder he didn't on a regular basis, being that he lived in an unheated home. It must have taken some awful night to do him in, she thought guiltily.

Edward didn't say a word as they descended the mountain together, although he never stopped trembling. When they reached her house, she pressed a finger to her lips to show that quite was key. Edward seemed to understand, taking light footsteps all the way to her room. Alice shut the door behind them and proceeded to take several towels out of her bathroom and sit Edward down to dry him off.

"I need to dry your hair," She explained as he watched her quizzically, "Is that all right?"

He nodded and said 'thank you' as she gently rubbed the moisture from his hair as best she could, patting him down gingerly, wiping beads of rain from his suit. When she finished, she helped him into bed, pulling the covers up to his neck and returned from the bathroom once more with a cool, damp wash cloth and a glass of water. Pressing the cloth to his forehead, she watched his eyes flutter closed, like butterfly's wings. He drank a sip or two of the water before Alice set it aside.

Grabbing a spare blanket and pillow from the closet, Alice built a makeshift bed upon the floor and nestled in, although not too comfortably. It was around 4:15 when she actually fell asleep, but not before a whisper goodnight from Edward.

As for Jack, the poor dear slept through all the excitement from his little dog bed in the corner. He never slept in it, save for when he wanted a nap and could not reach the top of Alice's bed. His nose twitched unconsciously at the new smells of leather and metal, but he merely turned in his sheets and dreamt on of chasing the neighbor's tabby into a tizzy.

Somehow, in the haze between dawn and day, Alice subconsciously rose in search of the comforts of her own bed. Finding an intruder upon settling into said sanctuary, she adapted, nestling into the foreign warmth, winding her limbs over it and nesting her head comfortably. Once she was at peace, her mind wandered back to what pleasant dreams she was dreaming.

As for Edward, he immediately awoke at her slightest movement, watching warily as she wound herself close to him almost unconsciously. He was careful to position his blades away from her delicate frame, but somehow he could not evade the flood of feeling she gave him. His insides were on fire at her touch, his face heating up to the point where he felt he may melt onto the floor; but then his poor friend would have to go to all the trouble to clean him up! What if he accidentally hurt her? This unsettled him greatly. But he was too afraid of what she would think if he woke her up now, and although he didn't fully understand it, he liked the way he reacted to her being so close at hand. He contemplated this as he drifted back into sleep, always wary of his hands, even in dreaming.

A/N: This was so much fun to write! I hope it was enjoyable. My eyelids are starting to droop so I will make my pleadings short. Please review this! I beg of you! Thanks to my reviewers, your words are my fuel. Goodnight…zzz…zzz…zzz


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six:**

A/N: Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own creations, end of story. I am sorry the links on my last chapter did not come up; I promise to put them on my page if anyone is still curious. Till then, enjoy.

Alice's nose tickled against something smooth and soft and she opened her eyes to the glare of sunlight streaked across black leather. Jerking aside, she held her breath, afraid of waking the still very ill Edward, whose face was still motionless with sleep. Slipping out of his grasp, winding out of his arms and very cautious of his hands, she watched him sleep with a smile on her face.

It felt surprisingly normal, sleeping beside him, despite the obvious danger. The feeling was no different than having little Jack in her arms at night, although a man was certainly a whole other kettle of onions entirely. Alice shook these thoughts, slinking downstairs to boil a pot of water and heat a bowl of soup over the stove. Portia was no doubt sleeping in, but Alice found to her surprise that the woman's car was not parked in the driveway as usual. Oh well, Alice thought, one less thing to worry about today.

Pouring two cups of white tea, one with a straw bobbing in the liquid, she carried them upstairs along with some chicken noodle soup, some cold medicine and a thermometer, surprising herself at her dexterity. Edward was still asleep when she shut her door, the clock flashing 9:00 while the fresh sunlight poured in through her windows.

"Good morning Jack." Alice whispered, feeding her dog his usual bowl of kibble, the poor thing had just woken up to the smell of steaming hot soup.

Standing up, Alice turned to find Edward staring back at her with bleary, half shut eyes, his teeth chattering audibly.

"G-g-good mor-ning, A-l-lice." He managed; his face anxious.

"Good morning Edward." Alice forced a smile, her heart sinking at his pitiful state. "I have some breakfast for you."

He sat up as best he could and Alice sat opposite him, close enough to spoon sips of soup past his lips. When he was full, she took his temperature and was horrified.

"A hundred and fifteen!?" She exclaimed. "Is that even possible?"

Pressing the back of her hand to his forehead, she hissed and snatched it back, the heat searing her skin.

"I'm sorry." Edward mumbled dejectedly.

"No," Alice shook her head, "This is all my fault. Here, take this."

She helped him drink a spoonful of the bitter red medicine and watched as his face scrunched up into a painful expression.

"I know," She nodded, "It's nasty, but it'll make you feel better. I'm going to go get cleaned up, do you need anything else?"

Edward shook his head and said his polite thank you between sips of his tea through the straw. Alice smiled and grabbed an outfit of jeans and a flowing, layered white tank top before retreating into her bathroom. Showering, she dried off and dressed, tying her hair out of her face with a navy blue ribbon in a low pony tail, her bangs falling where they may. Applying some mascara and lip stick, she emerged refreshed and renewed.

There was Edward, slumped on the bed with Jack curled up at his feet, which were covered in three thick layers of blankets. Sitting with her back to her bed, Alice drew a few boxes of clothes to her and began sorting and refolding, making piles of shirts, blouses, jeans and jackets and such, careful to sort away her undergarments into her drawers first should Edward wake up. There were more boxes, filled with pictures and books and other such thing, which she was rifling through when she heard Edward rustle in his sleep.

"What are those?" Edward asked sleepily, sitting up and tapping one of the picture frames delicately.

"Pictures," Alice answered, "From when I was a baby. This one-" She held one up. "is my mom."

The photo was Alice's favorite. An image of her mother, all blonde messy hair and flour streaked face, trying, and failing, to bake her first pumpkin pie for Alice's first Thanksgiving. Alice was hanging onto the tied strings of her mother's apron, a mere baby, sitting upon the hard kitchen floor. Her mom's face was a mix of disappointment and a wry half-grin that said 'oh well!'. It was only days later that Alice's mother spun out on the freeway on a patch of ice, avoiding a drunk driver.

"Where is she now?" Edward asked quietly as Alice subconsciously ran her fingertips over her mother's visage.

"She died," Alice answered, barely whispering, "When I was just a baby. Michael took me in."

"What about your father?" He wondered aloud.

Alice knew he meant no harm, none at all, still the question pricked her. "He left my mom-" She noticed his confusion before pressing on. "He divorced her, so they weren't together, just before she knew she was having a baby, having me."

Edward sat in silence for a long pause, trying to understand all of this. Her father left them? Like the inventor? No, he thought, this was different, Alice's father was awake. But why did he leave his wife and baby? This kind of injustice was new to Edward, who even himself knew some cruelties of life.

"You okay?" She asked, snapping him from his reverie.

He nodded and she introduced him to a new array of photos. Most were of trips she and Michael took to the southern beaches of California, the haze of the sun through the clouds casting pleasant shadows across Alice's childhood face.

"You were so small." He remarked, his dark eyes brightening at her half toothed grin in one photograph.

"I was a kid." She laughed, rising to hang some of them on her walls where she had already tacked in little nails. "Are you feeling any better?"

He nodded, humming a yes and Alice followed his wandering gaze to her stacks of books.

"Do you want to read one?" She asked, wandering back to him, kneeling beside the bed.

"That one has your name." He stretched a shear finger and tapped her copy of a heavily annotated Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and what Alice Found There.

"Uhhm." Alice nodded, picking it up and realizing he might have trouble reading it on his own with his hands. "I was named after it. My mom was an English major in college. She studied Lewis Carroll and… Well, she liked this book a lot."

Alice had noticed his look of puerile confusion at her explanation and simplified it abruptly. Sitting beside him, she propped the book open to the first page and began reading.

"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank," Alice began, "and having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading."

Edward listened with great interest and Alice patiently found herself explaining things that could confuse him in the text, thoroughly enjoying his face when he caught some sort of joke or if something particularly caught his imagination. Alice would have again given anything to see what sort of images he painted across his mind, the sharp hues of his creativity. He particularly enjoyed the chapter in which the Cheshire cat appeared and disappeared, escaping the clutches of the Queen of Heart's executioner.

The notion of beheading seemed to disturb poor Edward, and Alice soothed him by skimming over most of the Queen's croquet scene. He marveled at Tenniel's drawings and would stare at them with interest as Alice poured over the words, igniting his fiery imagination. His eyes would light up and his lips curl into soft, gentle smiles. Jack sat in between them both, yawning and stretching out lazily, flexing his sharp little nails like a fat old lion.

Once, while Alice read along, Edward noticed the recurring instance of her swiping her hand across her face to draw back her long bangs, which would ultimately swing back into her eyes anyhow. Her lips pursed in agitation as she did so and Edward watched her pensively. Without second thought, while Alice was in the midst of relaying the charming story, Edward silently reached out and with a clear _snip!_ cut off an inch or two from her swaying bangs.

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm sorry!" Edward bowed his head, placing his hands into his lap complacently, silently willing himself not to do something rash like that again.

"That's okay," Alice patted his arm soothingly, "I was just startled. Wow, I can see again! Thank you Edward!"

"You're welcome." He smiled bashfully as she read on, undaunted.

When Alice had finished the first story, she left downstairs and returned with lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches and a small bowl of tomato soup for Edward. Thinking cleverly, Alice also grabbed some duct tape and secured a spoon to Edward's right thumb so he could easily spoon himself his meal. He was simply delighted at this new luxurious freedom, eager to hear more of Alice Liddell's sequel. Checking his forehead, Alice was able to feel it without singeing her poor fingers, his temperature having dropped to a somewhat reasonable hundred and three.

"'Oh Kitty, _do_ help to settle it!'" Alice read aloud, wrapping up the final passage. "'I'm sure your paw can wait!' But the provoking kitten only began on the other paw, and pretended it hadn't heard the question. Which do _you _think it was?"

"I don't know." Edward responded, as if Alice had asked him the question instead of simply reading the last line aloud.

"That's alright." Alice smiled, closing the book and setting it aside. "I'm not sure myse-"

But just as she began, the sound of the front door slamming down the stairs below shook them both. Portia was home, Alice realized, her heart sinking, the woman's footsteps echoing up the stairs.

"Quick!" Alice hissed, urging Edward from bed. "Hide in the closet where she can't see you!"

Edward, ruffled by the excitement, scuffled along and stiffly hid himself behind the doors of her closet as Alice leaped onto her bed, her own door opening abruptly.

"What are you still doing in bed?" Portia demanded. "It's three o'clock. Don't you have friends to be around or someplace else to be?"

"There's no place like home." Alice smiled, although fulsomely, watching Portia sneer.

"Sure." She rolled her eyes and turned around. "Wait," She turned back, "Don't forget to clean up this mess." She gestured to empty cups of tea, plates and the bowl on Alice's table. "God, haven't you left your room today?"

Alice was to remark smartly about how she didn't exactly have a gourmet kitchen in her room, when Portia left, not bothering to shut the door behind her.

Alice sighed in relief, releasing Edward from his cell and busied herself with opening more boxes. Edward began to help, slicing open the boxes with one swipe of his fingertips. When they finished, Alice's room looked like a legitimate living space at last, pictures and bookshelves and knick knacks and all. One such object took hold of her friend's fancy the most and Alice retrieved it to show him.

"It's a snow globe." She explained. "You shake it and inside the glass, it snows."

Jiggling the glass orb a bit, Alice watched as Edward's eyes lit up. Inside was an image of the same Alice in the books, sitting atop a wrinkled mushroom, reading a book aloud to a well dressed white rabbit, well the entire scene was marble white, her long blonde hair nearly falling in her face. The bits of 'snow' fell gracefully fell to the figure's feet, Edward's illuminated eyes reflecting in the glass.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" She said thoughtfully and he nodded, captivated by it. "I can't remember the last time I saw the snow, but this helps."

Reaching up, she felt his forehead and smiled, it was reasonably normal again. However, it was hours before Portia hollered up that she was leaving to have dinner with some friends. Alice spared no cautions in smuggling Edward back up to his castle on the hill. Despite the fact that the front gate to his home was just down the street, Alice was checking over her shoulder so often she felt the muscles in her neck clench.

"And will you come tomorrow?" Edward asked, his lips curled up in a hopeful smile.

Alice loved his smile; it wasn't haughty or contemptuous, not in the least. No, it was gentle and endearing, puerile and innocent.

"Of course I will." She assured him, listening to his fingers click jubilantly. "I can bring Jack if you want."

He nodded eagerly and Alice waved over her shoulder, bidding him farewell. It was the moments such as thus that Alice wished, however silently, that he could stay down there with her, to be accepted and seen as she saw him. But then she would remember the nature of the people of town and her slight wish would extinguish.

A/N: Sorry to end so abruptly, but I've been quite busy with other matters. I have more exciting ideas for my story, however slow it seems now. Thanks, and please review!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven:**

A/N: Hello all. I've read all of your wonderful reviews but, alas, I was struck with a severe case of the apathies as of late and have found it very trying to bounce back. But, thanks to a video on YouTube, which I highly recommend, called Parody Sleepy Hollow Part 2, I am fully amped up and relaxed enough to juice out another chapter or two. God help me…

"Ouch!" Alice stumbled along the sidewalk after school as the toe of her shoe caught in the crack between slabs of concrete, her ankle twisting painfully.

Hobbling over to the brick fence, she hoisted herself up to sit aloft, nursing her throbbing ankle. Kneading the skin delicately with her fingertips, she scowled at the sea of pastel around her. Two blocks from her school and still everything was lost in the land of the long-since-past seventies, all cartoonish and hideously pallid colors. Even then the tamed palette of the elementary school loomed just behind her. Alice furrowed her brows. There was no escaping it, the baby blues and rosy pinks of the schoolroom doors, the chick yellows and spring greens of the playground jungle gyms and slides.

Was it not enough, thought she, for this town to be so full of ruthless peoples? Why did they feel the need to laden their false smiles and fulsome remarks with such a dizzying array of hues?

Just as she prepared herself to slowly ease her way back to the solid ground, something over in the schoolyard caught her eye. With a brief shriek, a little girl, hooded in a veil of dark hair, was sent sprawling from her seat upon the swings by a pair of fiery haired twins. Leaping from her post, Alice cried out once again, the pain of the jump shooting up her left leg. Biting back the tears, she limped to the entrance of the schoolyard and gripped the thigh of her jeans with a white knuckled fist.

"Where's your freak now, Melanie?" One of them taunted while the other chimed in, the two of them nudging her to the ground with their feet each time she made a feeble attempt to stand. "Yeah, where is he? Still think he's real? Do ya?"

"Hey!" Alice hollered, hobbling over the light grey concrete, wincing more at the pastel chalk designs it showed than her own pain.

The twins, two boys with freckled faces and eerily well trimmed hair took off, their matching overalls adding to the creepy sensation they put off. At Alice's feet, on her hands and knees, there was a little girl who shook with sobs. Her hair was not the pure black raven locks Edward had, but rather a dark brown.

"Hey," Alice knelt, biting back the pain, and reached out a gentle hand, "You okay?"

Taking her hand, the little girl stood and wiped the trails of tears from her face, smearing the dirt the twins had kicked up. "Thanks."

She could not have been older than ten or eleven at the most, her rod thin body peeking through a pale pink shirt under her denim dress. Her dark bangs fell across her forehead in a neat horizontal manner, her locks reaching her mid back before hanging in the same fashion. Alice found herself staring into two crystalline blue eyes, startled and entranced all at once.

"I'm Melanie." She went on, brushing herself off and steadying her trembling voice.

"Alice." Replied Alice. "What were those boys talking about?"

Melanie's visage seemed to darken a bit, her face turning into a faint scowl. "If I knew they'd do that, I'd never have told everyone my grandma's story."

"Your grandmother's story?" Alice wondered aloud.

Melanie paused a moment, scrutinizing Alice, as if wondering whether or not she was to be trusted. "My grandmother used to tell me stories about… about a man with scissors… for hands."

She gazed up at Alice, awaiting her reaction. Alice, however, was in a world all her own at the moment. How could this little girl know about Edward? That was impossible. Unless…

"Who is your grandmother?" Alice asked, her eyes bright with wonder.

This was not at all what Melanie expected. She predicted that her new ally would do as many did before, scorn her and leave her in a fit of laughter to pace the world alone. Alice nearly shook with anticipation. Could it be? Someone else she could share her secret with?

"Kim Hargreaves." Melanie said. "But she died a couple years ago, just after Christmas."

"I'm so sorry." Alice said mournfully, having passed Delaney Lane quite often each week, once with flowers for the grave; roses from Edward's garden.

"It's okay." Melanie shrugged. "I just wish my friends would stop picking on me. I told them the story once and they laughed at me. They always laugh at me…"

"Then they're not exactly friends now, are they?" Alice smiled sadly.

There was a small silence, filled only by the sound of thunder cackling in the distance, dark clouds pulling into the horizon. Alice felt a weight begin to drag upon her shoulders. Oh, how right this would be! A chance to connect with Kim, even if it was indirect, a chance to show Melanie she was right to believe, even if you suffer for it. And Edward, she thought, how pleased he would be to have a new companion.

"Melanie," Alice began slowly, "What if I told you your grandmother's stories aren't just fairytales?"

"What?" Melanie gasped, her brilliant blue eyes gleaming, even as the winds rustled dangerously around them.

Glancing around, Alice mapped out the way to the castle on the hill in her mind.

"Come with me," She said, lowering her voice, "Quickly."

Half an hour later, as they reached the top of the mountain, the rain began to truly drizzle. By then, Alice knew things such as the fact that Melanie was in fact ten years old, she was in the fourth grade, her mother was a single artist living on the outskirts of town, she loved to draw with charcoal pencils, her favorite color was purple, and she missed her grandmother very, very much.

"So," Melanie piped up as they reached the gate, Alice's hands already wrenching it open, "He's really here, isn't he?"

"Umhm." Alice nodded, smiling in anticipation.

Taking Melanie's shaking hand; Alice led her to the front door to thrust it open. Something caught Alice's eye, a patch of white- snow? It lay in soft tufts under the cover of the door frame. Melanie was too excited to notice, her eyes wide though. Alice herself was eager to see her friend again.

"Edward?" Alice called. "Edward! Come quick! I've someone here to meet you!"

Melanie shifted her weight from foot to foot, the floor creaking slightly under her. With hardly a sound, a shadow came creeping down the stairs above, startling the little girl. The distinct noise of clicking blades filled the air and somehow seemed to relax Melanie, who took a daring step forward to the base of the steps. Edward stopped, suddenly aware of the new, foreign presence; wary of it.

"Edward," Alice began, stepping forward to introduce her, "This is Melanie. Melanie, this is Edward."

"Hello." Edward stepped forth from the shadows, his anxious face shining in the quickly fading sunlight, his blades snipping nervously.

But this did not even faze little Melanie, who seemed totally at ease now, as if a character from her favorite Disney fairytale had just slid off the page and into her life. Her face lit up and Edward seemed a little eased by this.

"Hello Edward." Melanie smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

He smiled and, with Alice's permission, Melanie rushed off to tour the castle. Perhaps her first meeting with Edward was a bit less shocking with the castle polished, Alice mused, turning to find Edward unusually pleased.

"I knew you'd like her." Alice grinned and Edward returned it meekly.

"She reminds me of Kim." Edward said quietly.

Alice bit her lip and felt a rush of emotions overtake her. "Edward, there's something you need to know. Melanie is Kim's granddaughter and, Kim… she's… she's gone, Edward."

"Gone." He pondered aloud, pausing awhile before piping up. "Like father?"

"Edward," Alice could see his face come to a horrific realization, his eyes so full of agony, she rushed to him and carefully enveloped him in her warm arms, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He stayed frozen a moment, just before she felt his own arms wrap around her frame with a butterfly grip, his fingers laying against her dark purple shirt gingerly. Alice felt something, a deep, sweeping calm flood over the grief she felt for him, a pooling comfort that stirred within her soul. Laying her head against his chest, she closed her eyes and smelled the aged leather under her nose. The sensation of his own cheek pressed against the crown her of head washed over her, his hair, wild and untamable, tickled her nose, causing her to smile, just before tears spilled out her eyes. Holding him tighter, she felt his own tears soak into her scalp, causing her to shiver, but she suppressed it vehemently, lest she cut her arms on his sharp fingers.

Edward himself felt his own rush of feelings. In his heart he was broken over the loss of his first love, the confusion of this thing called 'death' was too much to bear. All he knew, all he wanted, was to stay in Alice's warm embrace, where no one could hurt him, no one could judge him. Was this how Kim felt when she said she loved him?

"I'm so sorry…" Alice took her fill of his scent and felt ashamed for it, why was she finding peace when all he could feel was the pain? Then she noticed his unsettling silence. "Edward?"

"I have something to show you." Edward was suddenly at her side, his hands tucked behind his back carefully, leading her up the stairs.

Alice followed up the stairs until they'd reached his own room, the rain dripping in through the gaping holes in the ceiling. Kept under the safety of the remaining pieces of roof, there stood something, so pure and crystalline it took Alice seconds to blink away her shock before creeping closer to it. Watching her intently, Edward followed at her side.

There, near his bed, stood the exact image from her snow globe, although this one was carved into ice. Alice sat atop a wrinkled mushroom, book propped open in her hands, telling her tale to an intent looking white rabbit standing before her. Every detail was there, the white rabbit's overcoat and vest, the patterns etched into each, his great pocket watch. The mushroom was unchanged, although large enough for the real Alice to actually sit atop. And the ice Alice had her signature dress and apron, her hair tousled in her- wait. Her face was, different, matured. It was Alice- the real Alice's- face! It were as if Alice were gazing into a mirror, a frosted one at that, at her own reflection.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked anxiously, clicking his fingers nervously. "It will melt soon, but I wanted to make it, for you."

Alice lifted her hand and felt the cool, ice sculpture's face, leaving thin sheaths of melting ice in her gentle wake. A smile broke out onto her features and she felt her heart may give out from all the whiplash, turning from agony to elation in a matter of minutes.

"I love it." She said breathlessly, her voice thick with the two fat tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"You're crying." He denoted, twitching his hands upwards, as if wishing to clean her tears away, but thought better of it.

"Yeah," She nodded, half sobbing in her mirth, "I am, but I'm happy. Sometimes it's good to cry."

Edward said nothing, but she knew he tried to understand her meaning. Alice stood beside him, suddenly looping her arm through his, leaning her head gently onto his shoulder. Together they gazed at his wintry masterpiece, enjoying what they knew would melt away into the floorboards below.

'Is that what this should feel like?' Alice pondered pensively. 'Loving something… someone… but knowing that you're soon to melt away, like some inevitable current to wash you away in the undertow?'

"Alice? Edward?"

Turning towards the doorway, Alice watched as Melanie tentatively wandered over to them, taking in every detail of the place, as if the very spirit of her grandmother's story was present in her discoveries.

"Find everything okay?" Alice asked, taking Melanie's hand when she saw it trembling with the cold draft.

She nodded and Alice looked to Edward, the astonishment on his face at the small child. He observed her as a curious dog might inspect a newborn puppy, with tender fascination. Melanie fawned over the sculpture, marveling at it, asking Alice if she might lend her the copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. As Alice and Melanie carried on the flow of the conversation, Edward watched them intently.

He watched Alice's mouth move and wondered if he depicted it just right in his creation. The ice sculpture was idle and motionless, whilst the living and breathing Alice's lips flowed and moved with grace and ease, and while his own sculpture would melt, Alice would never. Would she? He remembered his last encounter with Kim, the hope, the pain, the desolation he felt while gazing into her eyes those last precious moments. If only he had said something, done something to make her come back, to promise to see him again, if only once.

What would become of him and Alice? Would she grow up and away, just as Kim had? She could not stay in the confines of suburbia forever, and he did not wish that upon her. No, he resolved, she deserved to see the world, to live her life free of him, if she wished. His hopes sank, like slabs of dispersing ice slinking down through the cracks of the floor.

"Edward?" Alice's sweet voice broke his reverie.

'How stupid!' He thought. 'Now she'll be mad that I'm not paying attention!'

"Yes." He answered automatically, snapping to attention.

"I said I have to go now." She said, tilting her head to the side so that her hair falls with it, the golden tresses shimmering in the light. Edward liked it when she did that. "It stopped raining and I have to walk Melanie home."

"Okay." He nodded, wishing so badly to tell her that her hair sparkled in the surfacing sunlight, that it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, but he could not find the right words in time.

Just like that, she was gone; both of them. They left as he walked his garden, snipping at stray strands of verdure, enjoying the glint of the sun in each raindrop, on every leaf. It made him think of Alice's hair, how each strand had its own brilliance. He knew that she would be back tomorrow, but time was not an object for Edward. He knew little of it, only that it was the only thing separating him from her. Time moved too slow each day before she arrived, bright eyed and smiling. Then, that fickle thing, time would gain pace while she was here, racing off into sunsets, when she would bid him farewell, another promise of return. A promise she had always kept.

Alice listened cheerfully as Melanie swung their hands, walking down the sidewalk. Melanie was all glistening eyes and dancing tongue, chatting gleefully while Alice followed along, secretly watching the sunset and wondering if Edward was watching it too. She knew it always pained him to watch her go, but now he had two people to wait for, she reasoned, and two people to greet when they came.

"It's right here." Melanie stopped suddenly, halfway through town. "We live upstairs."

The sign above read "Sophie's Art Supply" in bold, dark design that stood out in the midst of all the neon, flashing seventies signs around it. Alice loved it at once.

"Mom!" Melanie called, opening the front door, the bells on the handle jingling jubilantly.

"Hey missy!" Came a melodious voice from the back.

Alice wandered through shelves of easels, paints, brushes, painting chairs, charcoals, canvas, watercolors, and a wide assortment of miscellaneous things such as seasonal home decorations. She smiled at the fat Santa's and Easter eggs and garlands of fall leaves to string on stairway banisters.

"Who's this?" The voice, attached to a petite figure and brunette framed face, asked as Melanie launched herself into her mother's arms.

"This is Alice!" Melanie explained. "She took me-"

In an instant, Melanie caught the flash of worry in Alice's eyes and immediately switched her motive.

"Out for some ice cream." She finished with angelic finesse. "I fell down after school today and she wanted to make me feel better. She's new in town."

"Oh, well, thank you Alice." The woman smiled, shaking Alice's hand. "I'm Sophie Hargreaves."

"Pleasure to meet you Ms. Hargreaves." Alice nodded, smiling.

"Just Sophie." Sophie untied her apron, which was caked with something relative to clay.

"Mom, you look tired." Melanie noted. "What's up?"

"Oh, Jane quit this morning and I don't have a last minute replacement." Sophie waved her off. "No one in this town wants to support the traditional arts! Everything is all MTV and iPods now."

Alice watched as Melanie groaned comically. "I could work for you, Sophie."

"What?" Came the simultaneous replies.

"Well," Alice reasoned, "I can work in the early morning and just after school on the weekdays and extra hours on weekends. I'd love to, if it would be alright."

"Of course," Sophie grinned, "Thank you! It'll be so nice not to be so tired- I forgot to unload the kiln this afternoon! The Valentine's Day boxes are chips of pink and red clay now!"

Alice and Melanie laughed, chatting awhile before Alice had to set out for home. Well, Alice thought, this was a good thing. She may be losing some time with Edward, but now she'd have some spending money. Portia would be relieved not to hand over some menial cash now. Alice mused over all this, whistling and within the recesses of her mind; she began to strike up a melody. She knew what it was before it was fully formed: Edward's song.

A/N: Hope it was long enough. Can't say much right now. Time to…zzz…zzz…zzz… More to be posted later…zzz…zzz…zzz


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight:**

**A/N:** Sorry this has taken so long! Life is proving to be quite unpredictable as of late and I apologize for my dilatorious nature. Hope you enjoy this new installment: please review!

"Alice!" Melanie called, waving as Alice stepped into the art shop after school the next week. "Alice!"

"Hey, Melanie." Alice smiled, tying on one of Sophie's aprons.

"Wanna see what I made in class today?" She began to dig through her little purple backpack at any rate. "Check it out!"

Outstretched in her tiny palms was the figure of an angel, dressed in robes of cotton and lace, although stitched together with uneven trails of red and yellow string. Its wings were tufts of ripped tissue superglued to two arches of paperclip metal, and shimmered with silver and gold glitter. But what caused Alice to take a double take was its hair, which was a tangle of black yarn, so much that it obscured the face.

"It's Edward." Alice muttered, tracing the wings delicately.

Melanie, with her sharp eyes having caught the flash of movement behind her friend, suddenly hushed her. "Mom's coming!"

"Hello Sophie." Alice greeted her employer warmly. "I brought you some coffee; it's there on the counter."

"Oh, thank you Alice." Sophie grinned, taking a generous sip and sighing. "You two going to the movies tonight?"

"Yes." Alice nodded. "We're seeing that new one…"

"The one about the polar bear that wants to be a Hollywood actor." Melanie finished quickly.

Alice hated lying. It was low, dirty and made her feel ill, but in order to keep their secret, it was unfortunately necessary. Most days they left under the pretence that Alice was to give Melanie piano lessons, or tutoring or some such excuse. Well, Alice pondered, it wasn't all lies; after all, she was teaching Melanie to play the piano when they visited Edward.

It was three hours or so later when they bid Sophie goodbye and made their trek up the streets to Edward's castle. The sun was at its awkward position, too early for twilight, too late for full brilliance. Alice gazed at it reverently, her fingers itching for the piano keys. After several days of long consideration, she finally scribbled down her song into what turned out to be a gentle little lullaby; her gift to Edward.

But as they wandered toward the trail to the top of the hill, Alice suddenly jerked her head around, almost instinctively. Melanie did not seem fazed by this and kept up her jubilant pace, leaving Alice to scan the empty roadway, the hairs upon the back of her neck rising, driving her insane with anxiety. After a moment or two, she shook her head and continued on, her uneasiness fading at the sight of Melanie skipping up the road in her light-up sneakers.

"Edward!" Melanie called, rushing through the gate.

Alice slid it shut and turned to find Edward eagerly greeting his newest friend, although his eyes never breaking contact with Alice's.

"Hello." He smiled, lighting up as Alice gave him a quick hug.

"Hello Edward." She grinned, watching with him as Melanie ran along the little path, her dark hair splaying out in the breeze.

Spring was rolling in, the storms now turning to warm zephyrs and winks of sunshine. The winter had stripped the land of its fertile lush, but now the buds were swelling to full capacity, ready for life and color. Not the dull, outdated pale of the town below, but a full, rich array of hues.

"Your garden's getting ready to bloom again." Alice noted, Edward snipping away a stray vine that crept over the iron gate.

"You think so?" He asked, almost eagerly.

"Definitely." She nodded, taking his arm as he led her around rings of budding daisies and sweet peas.

"How was work today?" He asked politely, watching his fingers anxiously, as if she were in dire danger simply walking at his side.

"Good," Alice nodded, "We fired the new set of pottery and it should be ready to glaze tomorrow."

"Ahh!"

Turning at the sudden cry, Edward carefully dethatched himself from Alice and went running with her to its source.

"Ouch…" Melanie sat on her rump at the bottom of the castle's stoop, clutching her skinned knee.

"Melanie!" Alice collapsed at her side, carefully taking the wound in her hands. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She huffed. "I just fell."

"It's bleeding pretty badly." Alice muttered.

"I'll just go home and get a band aid." Melanie declared, standing up shakily. "I have to head home soon anyways. Math homework…"

"You sure?" Alice asked. "I can walk you home. It's getting dark out."

"I'm a big girl." Melanie rolled her eyes, already at the gate. "I can walk myself!"

"Alright." Alice bit her lip.

"Be careful."Edward chimed in, which was unusual for him.

Melanie waved and hobbled down the road towards the neighborhood.

"Would you like to come inside?" Edward asked, hands clasped, well, clasped as well as could be, behind his back.

"I'd love to." Alice nodded, smiling uneasily.

She gazed over her shoulder to be sure Melanie was skipping down the road still.

Whistling to herself, Melanie watched as the streetlights lit up at her approach to the neighborhood sidewalk. Everything was as quiet as could be, the husbands of the town all having driven home and were currently sitting down to a family dinner in cozy homes that the wives kept neat and tidy all day. Melanie scrunched her nose and made a face. She would not care for that life at all; living for a husband who comes home apathetic from a longs day's work, only to complain of screaming babies and endless chores. No room for love, she reasoned, no room for anything at all. It was all conformed, life in a TV dinner, prepackaged and ready to serve.

No, she thought, she'd much rather be like her mom, free and fun loving and open to new and exciting things.

"Hey, kid!"

Turning, Melanie saw a shadowy figure emerge from the street, her leg muscles clenching, ready to move.

"Hey," It was a young man, his hair swept up in locks of coppery red, narrowed blue eyes sweeping her up and down, "What were you doing up at the old haunted castle?"

"Me?" She squeaked. "Nothing. I was just watching the sunset. My mom's waiting for me…"

"Oh, yeah?" He nodded, pursing his lips, just before dipping down to her face level intimidating. "Than what was _Alice_ doing up there? Hmmm?"

"Alice?" Melanie shook her head. "Who's Alice? I don't know a-"

"Don't _lie _to me you little-!" Just before he could grab her, she sidestepped him and went barreling down the streets.

She did not stop once until she made it to her mother's shop. The door was open but her mother was in the back room. Breathing hard, she stole a swig of her mother's long-since-cold coffee on the counter, wincing at the taste. She hated coffee, but her brain was telling her to drink something before she went into… what was it called again… that thing in her health unit… oh, yeah, _shock_.

"Hey honey," Sophie wandered around, rearranging pieces of hung artwork. "Back so soon? Where's Alice?"

"She dropped me off." Melanie lied. "I fell on the way to the theater and she brought me home."

"Oh, well, clean that up." Her mother instructed, gazing pointedly at her wounded knee. "I'll get you some Neosporin."

When her mother disappeared, Melanie stumbled and collapsed in one of the studios chairs, sighing in relief.

"I have something for you," Alice said as soon as they shut the front door to the castle behind them.

"You do?" He asked as she led him to the ball room, their footsteps echoing throughout the mansion, delicate and lithe.

"Mmhmm." She nodded, sitting at her piano bench and beckoning him to sit at her side, something he never did. "I wrote you something… a sort of… song. Your song."

"My song?" He tilted his head to the side, just before his eyes went wide as she began.

The start was simple, echoing and almost hauntingly sweet. It built up slowly, a melody, soft and bittersweet, broke into a lullaby of sweeping emotion. It was Edward in every sense. Starting soft, it was innocent, curious, hopeful, never proud or venomous. It was puerile and embodied what Edward meant to her, a friend, a light in her dim world, love.

Edwards' eyes had closed and Alice trusted her fingers enough to watch him while she played. Her heart clenched as he began, slowly at first, his lips turning up, to smile. As she built up into a melodious crescendo, her nimble fingers never overpowering the keys, only teasing them, she drifted off into a gentle ending, delicate notes tinkling away like little bells.

"So…" She whispered afterwards, turning to him. "What do you think?"

His eyes snapped open and he gazed towards her with a look she had never seen in them before. Those two dark orbs captured hers with their intense light and enthusiasm, but, as everything with Edward was, it was gentle. Alice felt her eyes moisten softly at the look on his face, a look of total awe and adoration; she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

He opened his lips to speak, but hesitated. Alice understood, even if she felt anxiety for his approval, she felt it in his smile. There was a moment of silence that ensued, Alice watching his aerial black eyes as she swayed closer to him, her face radiating heat. He made no move to stop her, even as her hand rose to cup his jaw line gingerly. She was so close she felt his hairs tickling her forehead as she bent her chin upwards, watching as his eyes slowly slid shut once more, her own following suit.

Suddenly she felt it, the feel of his lips just over hers, so soft it was barely a whisper of a kiss. She felt her lips moulding to his, feeling the odd sensation of the slight scar on his lower lip as it pressed against her own. His every motion was delicate, as his lips moved against hers, kissing her back. But this was all a matter of seconds.

Jumping apart, they heard the slam of the castle's front door and an animalistic cry. Having wrapped his arms around her slightly, Edward watched in horror as his right index finger slid against the smooth flesh were her shoulder met her neck, just barely breaking the surface. Blood trickled down her arm before the smeared it away hastily.

"Edward! Edward, it's okay. It's okay!" She insisted as he snipped anxiously, mumbling apologies, his eyes full of fright. "Someone's here. You have to hide!"

"I won't let them hurt you." He suddenly nodded, setting his jaw, Alice pausing at his sudden authority.

With another roar from the hallway, Alice grabbed Edward by the crook of his arm and felt her heart sink…

**A/N: **Cliffhanger! Only because I can't write more at the moment. Busy, busy, busy. Anyways- the Man's got me kids! They're coming to take me away- Haha! They're coming to take me away- Hoho! To the Funny Farm, where life is beautiful _all the time!_ And I'll be so glad to see those nice young men in their clean white jackets- And they're coming to take me away!!!! (Ends in helium-pumped insane laughter)

Sorry, moment of insanity, it will pass… haha!


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N:** Hello again! Thanks to some very helpful and charming reviews, I am over my sudden case of the apathies and am back on the job. I apologize if my update is quite belated, but I am also occupying myself with another story, a Sleepy Hollow FF, an enterprise of which I am most proud. Not to mention I am on the move again, come early next month. Just for fun, I'll give some clues as to my soon-to-be whereabouts and we'll see who guesses correctly first:

One, it's extremely humid and tropical.

Two, Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to visit this country.

Three, the local name of this country is 'Tanah Air Kita', which means Our Land and Water.

And props to anyone who can guess the occupation I hold that requires my travels.

Have fun!

**Chapter Nine:**

Alice and Edward crept to the ballroom door and Alice slid her hand through the crack in the door, sliding it open just enough to peer through. Edward stood at her back, clicking his fingers nervously, eyeing Alice's neck wound while she, oblivious to the pain, gazed intently at the darkening rooms outside. He gazed down at his scissors and bit his lip, tasting her breath on his tongue, and he found he liked it. What were those little words Kim had whispered to him, just before she left? Those three little words that sent him reeling?

'I love you' He heard echo in his mind, but it wasn't Kim's voice; it was Alice.

He wanted to say those words, just to make Alice feel how he felt when someone had loved him. He wanted to make her see how he felt, hold her and protect her from the world that seemed so cruel to him. Even with his heart pounding at his leather clad chest, he still swayed forwards slightly, his nose tickled by the scent of her hair. She smelled like his garden of flowers, and the taste of the sea in the wind.

Alice blinked to pick up the fading colors of the entryway, watching as the moon rose in the windows. When her eyes had settled, she gasped. There, pressed up against one of the walls, was-

"Portia?" Alice whispered.

Portia was indeed held against the wall by someone with bright blonde hair who Alice knew from town somewhere. Someone who did not have Michaels jet black hair, his kind green eyes, his ever so slightly crooked smile; someone who wasn't her uncle. Alice clutched her mouth and watched in horror as her aunt moaned in what she must have thought to be a simpering way, but rather Alice likened it to a dying walrus. Turning her head away in disgust, Alice pushed Edward tenderly from the door, bile rising in her throat.

"Who's there?" Edward asked.

Alice shook her head, anger boiling in her gut. "Nobody. Just two… intruders."

"Intruders." Edward repeated, not sure what to make of it all.

"I'll take care of this." Alice gnashed her teeth and rifled through her pockets for something. "Aha, don't worry, Edward, I'll take care of them."

Gripping her little wooden box full of charcoal sticks, a gift from Melanie, Alice flipped it open and drew a few out. Sliding the doors open ever so slightly, with a flick of her wrist, she sent a stick of charcoal sailing, skidding across the floor close to the pair.

"What was that?" Portia gasped, shoving the man from her.

"Nothing," The strange man muttered, pressing his face to hers agitatedly, "I didn't hear a thing."

With this, Alice hocked another stick and it skirted Portia's toes before it scampered into the shadows.

"I felt something!" She cried, jumping from foot to foot. "A rat! Or a- a- a- mouse!"

"It's just the old mansion," The man scoffed, "Stop it. It's just the wind."

He tried to lean in but one last stick went sailing- right into his mouth.

Spitting it out, he glanced around, wide eyed and sputtering. "L-l-lets get out of here!"

With hurried steps, they clamored out of the castle, nearly tripping over one another to scramble out the door. Alice felt giggles bubble to her throat and Edward smiled as they entered the main room. Picking up her two clean charcoal sticks, she abandoned the soiled one to the cracks between the floorboards.

"Are they gone?" Edward asked quietly.

"Yeah," Alice assured him, "I'm pretty sure they won't be coming back anytime soon."

Her smile sparked his own and she felt the heat rising to her cheeks. His eyes were so bright in the moonlight, she found, and found she could not merely look away.

"I… I guess I'd better get back home." She grinned, thinking of how scared Portia must have been.

Edward said nothing but watched as she leaned up to give him a brief but sweet kiss on his paralyzed lips. He watched her blush just before she trotted to the door. He liked the way her hair shifted when she moved, like waves of the ocean, lit gold by the brilliant sun. If only he could capture it right in his sculptures.

"Alice." He called just as she disappeared out the door, causing her startlingly beautiful visage to poke through. "I-" He set his jaw and scolded himself for his hesitation. "I love you."

She stared back at him for a moment, her face motionless. His heart stood on the balance between safety and breaking in that one silent moment.

"I love you too, Edward." She whispered, and she was gone.

Alice felt her face flood deep red, even as she walked the wooded trail to the neighborhood. Her thoughts were slurred with the rush of warmth in her mind, a sort of drunken delight she thought. Her footsteps felt light as a feather, her breathes mere whispers, and her heart was pounding in her ears. The cold was soothing to her shoulder, which was finally beginning to bother her. But now it was a simple itch in the wake of the pleasure in her thoughts as she relived the last few minutes over and over in her mind, his sweet , dulcet voice ringing in her ears.

She was so lost in her daze she did not even mind the creeping awareness of eyes on her as she dreamily wandered back home.

But her joy was short-lived, however, when she met two dull amber eyes once through the doorway. Portia was red faced and dotting her brow with a moist towel.

"You okay honey?" Michael appeared at her side, his face full of worry.

"Fine." Portia snapped, turning and retreating up the stairs. "I'm fine."

Alice watched her poor uncle's face pinch with what looked like guilt.

"She's… probably just tired." Alice whispered hoarsely.

She could not bear to tell her poor uncle the prior events that just took place. It was like she felt her lips smothered with a thick pillow each time the words bubbled to them.

"Yeah, just tired." Michael nodded, his own green eyes hollowed looking, his face sullen.

He did not even notice Alice's wound, which was now bleeding profusely.

Alice retreated herself to her bathroom, running a bath, she watched Jack pounce on UFB's, Unidentified Flying Bubbles, as she took a bath. Cleaning her cut, she sunk into the warmth and sighed. Mixed emotions ran through her veins. Elation at her newfound love was quashed somewhat by the burden of guilt welling within her at her aunt's straying ways. Jack's jowls snapped at the bubbles, wrinkling his snout and huffing at the soapy taste. Alice watched this and smiled, tears streaming down her lovely face.

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review if you can. Much thanks.

P.R.


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N: **Hello! Glad you all enjoyed that last little chapter, I promise this story still has a kick or two left before the grand finale. By the by, this chapter goes along smashingly with the song Falling For You by Seabird, you can look it up on YouTube ;) Till then…

**Chapter Ten:**

"Alice? Can I get some help up here? Oh! These boxes will be the death of me!" Sophie cried.

Alice, snapping up from her work at the cashiers counter late one night, swiftly approached the poor woman, boxes towering over her fragile frame. But just before she reached her distressed employer, the sudden sound of the front door's bells jingling abruptly and a low voice gasping "Oh!"

In one agile motion, Alice watched as, just before the boxes could tumble to the floor, Michael grasped Sophie's bent elbows and steadied her before she herself could fall.

"Oh…" Sophie froze, staring back into Michael's motionless face.

Alice stared intently, watching the heat pass over Sophie's face in a flush of red while Michael's eyes shone bright with laughter; something she hadn't seen in what seemed a lifetime.

"You 'kay?" He asked in his chipper Irish drawl as Sophie scrambled to stand upright.

She seemed flustered a moment and forced a kind smile. "I'm fine, thank you so much…?"

"Michael," He flashed a grin, taking his faded navy blue fedora in his hands, "Michael McAlister."

"Sophie Hargreaves." Sophie made to shake his hand but stumbled as her boxes trembled with the movement.

Alice watched in wonder as the simply stared into each other, like men thirsting to death, suddenly on their knees before a gushing stream. Not knowing quite what to do, Alice quickly cleared her throat and the two of them snapped to attention, turning to her with shameful faces.

"Alice." Michael grinned wolfishly, undertones of boy-caught-with-the-cookie-jar still lingering in his features. "Just came by to take you home."

"Alright." Alice nodded, smiling awkwardly. "Sophie, this is my uncle Michael."

"Ah." Sophie nodded, her soft blue eyes shifting around nervously. "Well, your checks on the counter so…"

"See you tomorrow then." Alice took her oblivious uncle by the arm and dragged him out of the store. "Tell Melanie I said hello!"

"Will do!"

When the shop was safe and out of earshot, Alice turned on her heel and stared her uncle down with sharp, playful eyes. "You _like_ her!"

"Wha'?" He scoffed, fumbling with his car keys and ushering her into their beat up old truck. "Bullocks."

"Don't lie." She chided as they drove along, whistling the tune 'Michael and Sophie sittin' in a tree… K.I.S.S.I.N.G."

"Stop that." He snapped quietly; abruptly. "I'm a married man, Alice."

"That never stopped Portia…" Alice muttered, her slippery tongue betraying her.

"Wha'?" The car jerked to a halt, eliciting a heated honk from another vehicle. "Wha' did you jus' say?"

"Nothing…" Alice mumbled, red faced and hiding her chin to her chest, feeling much like Edward at the moment.

"No, tha' wasn't nothing'." He snapped, swinging the car into the nearest shoulder. "Now tell me wha's going on!"

"I-I…" Alice choked on her tears. "I saw…"

"What did you see?" He thundered, sweat beading his brow.

"I s-s-s-aw… Portia…" Alice sniffed, feeling the heat of the gaze upon her. "W-with another…"

His grip, somehow upon her arm, although she did not feel it till then, slackened and she slumped to a heap of sobs against her window. Michael's face drained of all color, his lips trembling like darling buds in the rough winds of May*. Rain splattered against the windshield and they sat together, the only sound to keep the silence from smothering the both of them. Taking the wheel in his shaking hands, Michael gingerly switched gears into drive and they made their slow way home.

Alice cried silently into her pillow that night, listening to the mix of the rain outside her window and the brawl unfolding below her room. Screams, accusing, defensive, abrasive, pleading, roaring, all echoed to her ears, and nothing she clutched to her head could keep out the pain she felt welling up in her chest. Her pain, only a mere shadow of her uncle's, she thought, overtook her, shook her, tossed her about her bed in violent sobs, until she could hardly breathe.

Why? Why did Portia have to cheat? She asked herself. Why couldn't she just be a good little wife and smile everyday and kiss her husband with feeling and tend her dead garden to life and let the dog out and bring in handfuls of daisies for a vase to keep on the table?

When, at last, Alice heard the front door slam and the violent roar of Portia's Mercedes as it whipped out the drive, she crawled out of bed, an oblivious Jack lying in his bed, snoring away. Creeping out her door, she drifted down the stairs in a daze, the hem of her nightdress tickling her calves. Down the hall she treaded, the weight of her heart resting in her ankles, dragging each of her solemn steps.

"Michael…?" She whispered tentatively, gasping at the sight.

Slumped over the kitchen counter, half empty bottle of whiskey in one hand, the other clutching his swollen black eye, he turned away sullenly. "Go away…"

"Michael…" She felt fresh tears streak down her face. "I-I'm so sorr-"

"Out…" Was his only reply, curt and sharp tongued.

"Mi-"

"_**OUT!**_" He roared viciously, his face contorting in fury, red and feral.

Jumping, she fled down the hall and, with trembling hands; she fished a heavy overcoat and a pair of boots from the closet and threw them on sloppily. Wrenching open the front door, she slammed it in her wake and felt the rain stream down her face, cooling her flushed skin.

Racing down the street, she felt the world pass in a blur, time lost in the whirl, nothing registering until she was pressing open the gate to the castle on the hill, not entirely sure how she managed to climb there. The rain drew a hazy curtain around her eyes, or was that her tears? Either way, her path to the front door was a messily executed one.

Flinging open the door, she collapsed to the sound of its slam echoing in the mansion. There, in her pool of tears and moonlit rainwater, she wept and wept until she felt her tears would run down the hill in mighty cataracts and flood the poor little town off the face of the earth. All her tears would wipe her world clean of this mess, she pondered, and she would stay here forever, with Edward on the hill, where nothing could ever hurt her again.

"Alice?"

Biting her lip, she shook harder, even as Edward knelt at her side, his face tight with worry, fingers snipping anxiously.

"J-Just…" She fought to speak. "Just h-h-hold m-me… p-ple-please-se?"

With slow, deliberate movements, he swayed closer to her and, with the gentlest of motions, wrapped his arms around her trembling frame, keeping his lethal fingers at bay. Cradling her head to his chest, he closed his eyes and took shameful pleasure in letting his nose sink into the sweet scented depths of her golden waves. Alice, clutching him close like an anchor to this world, felt her sobs die down into gentle twitches as she inhaled the smells of leather and ancient books clambering to hang on old shelves; his scent. There they knelt the entire night, holding one another close, Alice with relief washing over her and Edward with confusion ebbing away into pleasant waves of comfort at the notion that she sought shelter here, with him.

But when, alas, she nodded off against his steadily thudding heart, he was at a loss of what was to be done. So, ushering her unconscious form against him, he backed into the wall and gazed up at the rising moon through the clearing storm clouds, his love resting against him, lying between his sprawled out legs. Her hands rested against his shoulders, her breath tickling the hollow of his throat, even through his leather collar. His sorrowful visage framed both his black pooling eyes, holding his Alice close to him in the darkness.

It were as if his heart was home again.

**A/N: **Bugger my companion! She makes endless lists and lists and lists of supplies to pack. This toothbrush, that tee-shirt, those packs of peanuts for the flight! God help me… I'd rather wing it (so to speak) instead. So help me God if she nags me ONE more time…

Anywho, hope this chapter left you bittersweetly, as it was rather that way when I wrote it. Until later, my friends.

P.R.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Author's Assistant's Note: Hello readers of P.R., who has entrusted this story to me in the mind boggling form of oversea text messages, which are a pain in the rump to decode, btw. This chapter in particular took exactly seventeen texts, each substantial in length, as my good friend's dear internet access is next to zero at the moment. As for me, well, Phoenix so affectionately dubbed me The Firebird's Apprentice, as it were. Lucky me, busy busy busy and pulling out the stops for this weird hobby of Phoenix's, which I still don't understand. It's even confusing to me to call Phoenix by her pen name, but Phoenix vehemently insisted I hid Phoenix's gender, age, and most of all name. Can you say, Internet-Creeper-Phobia? Go figure. So, all in all, this is the conglomeration of texts and a few fillers I added in (don't tell P.R!) to complete this chapter:**

**Chapter Eleven:**

Alice stood alone in the garden, giving a cursory glance to the clusters of trembling flowers around her. The wind whispered through the trees beyond the castle and she closed her eyes, feeling the mid morning sun upon her skin. Thin snipping chirps reached her ears and she felt Edward sit beside her along the stone edge of his Hand sculpture. For a while they sat together, each silent as the other, as if waiting for each other to speak.

"You should go," Edward said suddenly, as if realizing it himself, "And talk to him. You should make sure he's okay."

"You're right." She sighed, opening her eyes and placing her hand in the smooth leather of his palm. "I'm scared, though."

"Why?" He asked, gazing at her with his soulful dark eyes.

"I… He's never raised his voice with me," Alice struggled to fight the tears, which made her throat small and choked her words, "Let alone frightened me like that. You don't understand, Edward. He didn't even look _human_."

"Not everyone does." He whispered, lowering his gaze.

"Edward," Alice gasped and caressed his face with her free palm. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"I know," He said, his lips frozen but his eyes lighting up, "Go."

Nodding, Alice wiped her misty eyes dry and left her safe haven, and the man who watched her go with dark, searching eyes.

Alice reached the cul-de-sac at the foot of the mountain with skipping steps, eager to reach her uncle, feeling his pain well up in her chest with each step. Her movements were so focused, so fervent she hardly noticed when another body began to match her step, striding beside her.

"Hey there, Alice."

Snapping her head to the side, she felt her heart leap to her throat as Bart gave a greasy smile.

"Don't you have some other girl to stalk?" She grumbled, refusing to show the intimidation she felt lingering in her quickly freezing limbs.

"Why?" He grinned. "It's so much more fun to watch you."

He wouldn't dare pull something; she reasoned logically in her head, there were neighbors all around, gardening, leaving for work, kids playing outside in the sun. No, he wouldn't with all these witnesses. To them, all Bart was doing was going for a swift walk with the new girl from school. It seemed so innocent, Alice thought with disgust, but what would this community think if they saw Bart, or all the scum here, for all he was?

"What's the rush?" He sneered, grappling for her elbow, which she kept at bay with skilled agility. "I thought you liked hiding up there?"

Stopping suddenly, Alice glared at him so fiercely she watched his eyes wince ever so slightly.

"You stay away from me!" She barked, catching the attention of the few neighbors stationed at their lawns. "Just stay the hell away!"

Bart seethed as several housewives shook their heads disapprovingly at the boy. His face reddened and he gnashed his teeth as she stomped up her driveway, head held high in the air. Wrenching the door open, she slammed it, but instantly remembered her sole reason for returning home in the first place.

"Michael?" She whispered to the dark house, clutching the hallway wall for support.

"Alice?" Came the feeble reply from the kitchen, or rather from the sun room.

Sliding into the light, Alice shut the sun room door behind her, basking in the warmth leaking from the windows above. Michael sat slumped over in the white wicker chair Alice had picked from the furniture store when they moved here. His black eye was still swollen with streaks of deep purple and the whites of his eye were a sickening red, causing Alice to flinch. But what brought tears to her eyes was the hollow look of utter devastation in his eyes. They were empty, like he were a porcelain doll, she thought to herself, approaching him with caution.

"I'm so sorry, Alice." He whispered hoarsely, rising with shaky legs.

When his desolate eyes met hers, Alice launched herself forward, enveloping him tightly in her embrace, feeling his tears slip down to splash upon her scalp.

"Me too." She mumbled into his fantastically loud shirt, her own tears streaking down his tan leather jacket.

She had always loved his eccentric sense of style, something Portia always resented herself. Now it didn't matter, Alice thought, she was gone and Michael was, in a way, a free man.

"I knew what was going on." Michael breathed suddenly, whispering so low Alice barely caught it.

"What?" She gasped, backing away enough to watch his watering face, twisted in pain.

"Yeah," He sniffed, wiping his nose like a toddler on his sleeve, "I knew it. I just… I didn't wanna believe it. Tha's all."

He sat back down and Alice left to fetch a bag of frozen peas, folding it in a dish towel and letting him press it to his eye. Sitting beside him on the floor, she rested her head on his knee while he whistled and old song, brushing her hair with his free hand.

Closing her eyes, Alice smiled and felt her heart's pain ebb away ever so gradually.

"I remember that song," She muttered almost sleepily, "You used to sing it whenever I… whenever I had nightmares."

She had meant to say 'Whenever I missed my mom', but did not have the heart to say it.

In response, his voice, thick with emotion, began to sing along with the words, even as his heart broke before him. "_So maybe we'll fall, before we take flight. Maybe you're all I've got to lose. They say it's all grey, but we see it white. And, if I'm lo-ost, thank God I'm lost with you_."

Alice whispered along, but could not dare to sing aloud. She watched as snatches of dust, lit glorious gold by the brilliant sun, danced before her eyes in the shards of slanted light. Michael sang and sang and sang on until the rumble of his stomach disturbed her sleepy daze and she stood in a fit of giggles, venturing to the kitchen to make some egg salad sandwiches; Michael's favorite.

**Firebird's Apprentice Note: Sorry for the briefness of it all, but that's what were Phoenix cut it off. Go figure. But good news, looks like Phoenix won't have to be extending the stay in the Pacific so Phoenix should be back somewhere around two weeks from now. Took me all night to post this bugger, so enjoy it! Blah.**


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Firebird's Apprentice Note: Sorry it's been so long! But I bare good news. Phoenix is faring well, and has requested I send a message on to all of you! So (this is from deciphering text messages so bare with me):**

** Selamat siang! P.R. here in the sweltering heat. Is it physically possible for a human being to literally melt? Haha, anyways, I apologize for the sparing posts, I promise to get better about all that. I hope this bit tides you over until I get my hands on a personal computer and finish this story! I am eager to delve into different stories all buzzing in my head so I can certainly envision how this one is going to end. Before I go, a piece of advice. Never chew gum in Indonesia! It is illegal! The price of dirtying these spotless streets is three to six lashes with a cane across one's back. Glad my superiors forewarned me!**

** 'Til I see the good old USA,**

** P.R.**

** Hope you enjoy this chapter, F.A.**

**Chapter Twelve:**

The next few weeks were a blur of schoolwork, working at Sophie's and housework. Juggling all that with taking Melanie up the mountain to visit Edward was a daunting task, but it was worth it when Melanie would take Jack with her to the garden, leaving Alice and Edward to themselves. Edward seemed comfortable, more comfortable around Alice than ever before, and even ventured to kiss her once, catching her off guard, hands poised at the piano's keys. She was surprised as his lips brushed her cheek, but she smiled and took his face in her hands, kissing his lips gingerly.

"I can't wait until summer," Alice mused one day while they all sat in the sanctuary of the garden's lush green lawn, "Then things might calm down a bit."

"Summer?" Edward tilted his head to the side a bit, looking much like little Jack when he begged for food at Alice's feet.

"That's when we get three whole months of no school." Melanie explained, running her child's fingers through Jacks thickening fur.

The day was hot enough to pass as summer, Alice thought, the bugs in the brush buzzing and the sun dancing off of Edward's hands, the air, hot and filled with the delicious scent of his blooming garden.

"And we'll have more time to spend here with you." Alice added, her fingertips tracing over his sun drenched fingers, watching them glow.

He seemed to brighten at this.

Alice smiled and lay back in the grass. Edward seemed curious enough that he lay beside her, watching her watch the clouds go by.

**Later that day:**

"You sure this is the place?"

"Where else moron?"

"But Bart that place is haunted."

"What? So the big bad castle gonna send you home to your mommy?"

"No, I just… I just hear things about that place."

"So? That stupid bitch disappears up there, and I'm gonna find out why."

"C'mon Bart, just let it go man-"

"Shut up! Just shut up! That girl is mine. Nobody says no to me! Nobody!"

"Geeze, lemme go man…. Gosh."

"Be here. Tonight. Bring the van."

"Whatever ma- sure, sure, no worries."

"Wipe that smile off your face! …and don't forget the booze."

**Meanwhile:**

"So, what are you and Edward?" Melanie asked that night as Alice combed her long dark hair.

"What do you mean?" Alice felt her face heat up, her hands suddenly taking on a mind of their own, trembling ever so slightly.

"You know," Melanie puckered her lips, fresh with watermelon lip gloss, "Wike dis."

"How do you-?" Alice began, setting the comb aside and beginning to French braid the girl's silken locks.

"I know these things." She shrugged nonchalantly, causing Alice to have to rebraid.

Alice rolled her eyes as the little girl pressed her for details that she would refuse to give. Meanwhile, downstairs two adults sipped fresh cups of coffee, one telling jokes with an Irish drawl, the other laughing as her brunette locks trembled, her hands dotted with streaks of acrylic paint. Music from Alice's stereo carried down the stairs and set the calm mood. Alice knew the tune by heart, as it was her own, and she closed her eyes and listened to her own fingers playing the recording. It was his song.

**Later on:**

"Thanks so much Michael." Sophie gave a quiet smile as she slid on her knit sweater at the door.

His gaze was smoldering as Alice escorted Melanie to her mom's car out front in the fading daylight. "Anytime."

Alice glanced back and watched as the heat passed between the two, a smile now grazing her own lips. They seemed to carry on their secret conversation with only their eyes, and Alice wondered if that was what it looked like with her and Edward. Melanie climbed into the seat with a lengthy sigh, half yawning, stretching her arms like a small animal.

"Get some good sleep tonight, kay?" Alice pleaded softly, helping buckle in the half sleeping child. "Bye Sophie."

"Bye Alice, see you tomorrow." Sophie smiled, shutting her door across the car.

Alice nodded and shut Melanie's door, watching with her uncle as the two drove off down the street as the sun passed into darkness behind the distant hills.

"C'mon, it's almost time for you to head to bed too." Michael nodded in mock solemnity.

"Yes sir." Alice gave a small mock salute.

"Are you mocking me?" He wriggled each eyebrow, an eerie trick of his.

"Are you in love with my boss?"

"Go to bed."

**Sometime Around Midnight:**

_It was dark, there were flashes of light, but each was just enough to disorient, not nearly lingering enough to do much else. Alice was alone, wandering the steps of the mansion, pacing this way and that, rather aimlessly. The lights flickered and she stumbled, clutching thin air only to meet the cold floor. _

_That's when she heard it. It was a long, agonizing scream. Enough to send one's blood racing._

"_Edward!" She screamed, her words muffled in her mouth like she was speaking through a mouthful of cotton. "Edward where are you? Where- Ah!"_

_Like a trap door, the floor beneath her gave out in two halves, sending her crashing towards the darkness enveloping her vision. There was no time to think, to move, to breathe-_

"Ah!" She cried, sitting up in bed with a terrible jerking motion.

Jack lifted his sleepy head, gazed up at her with dull eyes before slumping back over with a little huff. Breathing hard, she felt her moist forehead with shaking hands. The moon shown bright and nearly full outside her window, veiled in a thin sheath of clouds, framed in half faded stars. Her heart beat raced, thrashing in her ears like the rush of the tide against a rocky shore. With sudden absolution, she threw her covers off and sprang from her bed.

"Something isn't right."

** Author's Assistants' Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger, I don't think Phoenix meant for it this way, but this is where her texts cut off. I'm not too good at this author's note thingummy, not like Phoenix. So, review, I suppose. Thanks.**

** F.A.**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**A/N: I'm back! Sweet sweet freedom! Yes, it is me, Phoenix Rising. My special thanks to my dear apprentice. You have learned much grasshopper. I must say it is a joy to be back in the states, however fun traveling is. Guess what the first thing I did once I was back home and safe: I watched Alice in Wonderland in IMAX. It's good to be home. The jet lag hangover has passed and I have devoted almost every free second in my day to this final installment. So, do enjoy:**

**Chapter Thirteen:**

Alice felt her heart racing as her worst fears were confirmed. There, parked along the edge of the col-de-sac, was Bart's bright red van. She sensed movement in the vehicle, although the engine wasn't running, causing her to skirt past it cautiously. Rifling through her pockets, she felt her mind race to the only person she could trust to answer the phone at this hour.

"C'mon Sophie…" She half whined, biting her lip, listening to the art supply shop phone ring in a slow, dull pace. "_Please_…"

Michael, always the overprotective git, would send her immediately back to bed, claiming that the police would handle any disturbance in the neighborhood. No, Alice thought, she couldn't tell him about poor Edward; at least not yet. Sophie, yes, Sophie on the other hand, she saw what others in this town turned a blind eye to. She was the one who saw right through Bart and his gang of thugs. Sophie had to be the one to help her.

"Hello, you've reached…" Alice whimpered, clambering up the hillside haphazardly, listening to Sophie's voice on the answering machine.

Finally, she heard the beep, wiping beads of sweat from her brow, exclaiming at last. "Sophie! It's me, Alice. There's been an emergency. I can't explain now, but I need you to come to the mansion on the hill as soon as you hear this! Michael is fine, but I might not be. Not for long."

Not knowing quite what else to add, she snapped her cell shut and jammed it in her jeans pocket. Dressed in little else but said jeans, a grey tee shirt and a pair of old sneakers, she felt her heart skip a beat as she came at last to the looming gates. Slowing her pace to a steady canter, she listened to the gravel crunch beneath her feet and strained to hear anything else.

But there was nothing, not a single sound besides the thinning whispers of her shoes and the distant cry of the midnight lark. A symphony of rustling leaves filled the night air at once and she felt the delicate hairs upon nape of her neck stand on end. Slipping through the gate silently, she hushed her rough breaths and felt like a wraith traversing the night, her world lit only by the faint starlight. It was a moonless night.

Sweeping her eyes over the garden, she took tentative steps to ensure no one would hear her. The mansion, once her place of sought-after refuge was now a grim realm of silence and gripping fear. Her legs, tired and trembling from her urgent jog up the hillside, throbbed and ached horribly.

"Edward?" She breathed, her voice raspy from the recent overexertion of her lungs. "Edward, where are you?"

There was a slight moment of terror, in which she thought she heard traces of the familiar sound of slicing blades. Holding her breath, she struggled to make out a dark figure emerging from the shadows.

"Oh, Edward, thank goodness-" She began, just before the glint of copper flickered in the starlight.

"Hey there little mouse."

Alice prepared to scream.

**Elsewhere:**

Melanie, having shrugged her mother's warnings of a school night, opted to finish her homework in the shop, where inspiration seemed to dwell. But, unfortunately for her, her drowsy eyes got the better of her and as she sat slumped over on her desk chair, she succumbed to sweet waves of enticing sleep. She dreamed many things. Often she dreamed of faraway places, of adventures and swords and pirates and mysteries and knights and princesses and dragons and other such fantastical sights. But on this fateful night, she dreamed of the sea.

Alone, on a tiny ship fabricated of the most fortified metals, she drifted along headfirst into a tremendous storm. Dark clouds unleashed sprays of lashing rain and winds that howled so loudly you could hardly hear your heart pounding. Gripping the firm railing of the bow, she felt the terror and the thrill rise like fire in her belly, flooding her veins with excitement. Off, in the distance beyond the crashing waves and stinging spray of ocean, was a light, red and flickering. Voices of the crew begged her to turn about, to avoid crashing into whatever lay ahead. But she was wild, free and challenged the light, even as it grew closer and larger.

She dared it to-

"Huh?" She felt a true wave of reality brake upon her as she stirred from her dream.

Half asleep, she watched in a dreamy daze as the flickering red light transformed into her mother's telephone, the answering machine's light. Lifting her hazy gaze, she yawned and suddenly jolted awake. The phone!

Slapping the button groggily, she felt her eyes widen as Alice's strained voice reached her tender ears.

"Sophie! It's me, Alice. There's been an emergency-" Melanie leaned in eagerly, feeling her blood begin to race. "I can't explain now, but I need you to come to the mansion on the hill as soon as you hear this!" At the hysteria in her friends' voice, Melanie's hands began to tremble. "Michael is fine, but I may not be. Not for long."

Melanie sat there in wonder for a moment, truly stunned. Her sluggish mind, heavy from sleep, struggled to comprehend all that she had received in the brief message. Only one word slipped past her frozen lips.

"Edward."

The shop door's bell chimed as she fled.

**At the Mansion:**

"Let me go!" Alice fought as Bart dragged her by the elbow, clawing at him.

She could smell the alcohol on his breath as he pulled her to him. With violent movements, he silenced her by crushing his foul lips to her mouth. He tasted putrid. Alice gagged as he continued his assault, yanking her into the mansion. She felt the world spinning.

Between his sloppy kisses and rough hands she could not breathe, let alone think. Exhausted from the hike, she felt her muscles were no match for his drunken rage.

"You're nothing." He slurred, his scathing voice causing her to shrink away. "You're just a stupid girl. Nobody saysss no to me."

Dragging her to the floor, he gazed with burning eyes at her between fervent kisses. With one hand gripping a fistful of her shirt, he tore it clean off her and watched as she squirmed in his grasp. When she took a deep breath to scream, he stifled it by stuffing her mouth with her own shirt. Tears sprang to her eyes as she sobbed beneath him. His fingers began to fumble at her jeans button. Goosebumps spread over her skin, protected only by her scarlet colored bra.

_This is it,_ she thought miserably,_ I am going to be molested by this pig and Edward won't be here to save me. Edward, where are you? Can't you hear this? Can't you save me?_

That's when she snapped. She didn't need Edward to save her. Bart would kill him if he saw him, she suspected, it was _Alice_ who needed to save _him_. She felt a fire erupt in her so deep down it frightened her.

"I been waiting sso long for thisss…" Bart whispered huskily.

"_**No!**_" She screamed through her gag, finding the adrenaline fueled strength to lift her knees and thrust him back with both legs.

With weary hands she tore her gag from her mouth and she leaped to her feet, swaying back and forth. Standing drunkenly, Bart eyed her with a mix of fury and amazement as his nostrils flared.

"You little bi-" He began.

"Edward!" Alice took no time in yelling at the top of her lungs. "Edward! _**Edward!**_"

"Shut up!" Bart cried, covering his ears like an angered child. "You stupid girl. My name's not-"

"Alice!"

Both freezing, Bart stood stunned as Edwards dark figure emerged from the shadows, blades glistening in the starlight. Alice breathed a sigh of relief, sinking to the floor, crumpling with physical exhaustion. She watched as Edward approached Bart with a look of pure hatred upon his face. Alice had never seen anything like it. Those black orbs were almost empty of emotion as he came at Bart with his hands snapping angrily.

"Woah! Woah man!" Bart spluttered, backing away to the open door, nearly toppling over in his haste. "Put those fuckersss down!"

"Leave." Was all Edward said, his voice on edge, so close to raising itself Alice felt herself tremble in fear.

Stumbling over the garden, ruining several beautiful daffodil blooms, Bart left in a mess of fear-filled eyes and spluttering the words: "Start the car! S-s-s-tart the c-c-car!"

**Meanwhile:**

Melanie listened to the sound of her bike's wheels over the cold pavement while she raced to the neighborhood. Her heart was pounding in her chest, which was heaving with ragged breaths. Pedaling faster, she saw the dark image of the castle ahead.

"I'm…coming… Alice… Ed… ward." She gasped.

But, as she rounded the corner into the col-de-sac, she watched the world go white as two flashing stars blinded her and everything was engulphed in the scream of tires across pavement.

**Back in the Mansion:**

"Did he hurt you?" Edward's voice melted back to its soft sincerity immediately following Bart's sudden departure.

"No, I'm fine." Alice watched his face grow close as he knelt beside her. "Just… tired."

Offering his arm, he helped her to her feet and supported her when she teetered a bit. Leaning her head into his shoulder, Alice felt tears of relief splay down her cold cheeks. The world was at peace again. She felt her heart convulse with the feelings he gave her at that moment.

"I love you, Edward." She said suddenly as he warily eyed her unclothed skin, immediately averting his gaze.

"I love you too." He whispered. "Are you cold?"

"A little." She nodded and he left her a moment, returning with a thin, dusty blanket from upstairs.

Wrapping herself up, Alice leaned into his embrace once more and felt his warm breath tickle her hair. "I thought he was coming here to get you."

"Me?" He said, puzzled.

"Bart would do anything to hurt me." Alice nodded. "Even if it meant hurting you."

"I won't let him near you." Edward nodded resolutely and Alice wanted to laugh at his absolute solemnity.

"I know." She sighed contently, the silence engulfing them both.

But this was quickly broken as the distinct sound of screeching tires filled the air. Jerking apart, Edward's hands sliced a deep cut into Alice's right arm, just above the elbow. Biting her lip she stifled a cry as Edward began stuttering apologies. But her mind was racing too fast for comprehension of this, as she thought back to phone calls.

Phone calls, cell phone, Sophie, _Sophie!_ Alice fled out the front door as Edward followed, his face twisted in self loathing. Phones, Sophie, there! She spied through the trees at the gate, there was a bicycle crumpled up beside Bart's van under the streetlight. Bicycle! Oh no! There was only one person who would have been riding a bicycle here at this hour.

"_**Melanie!**_"

**A/N: I hate to leave this off as a cliffhanger, but I am already working on the true ending. I have yet to decide the little girl's fate, so hold your breath! Comments, reviews, concerns, all are helpful. With love, P.R.**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N: This is what I imagine will be the final chapter, save the prologue, and I find it hard to finish this story. Please, enjoy.**

**Chapter Fourteen:**

_The world was hazy… and purple. She liked purple. It hung on her conscious like a veil sheathing her scattered vision. She was outside herself, watching as though her eyes were old fashioned projectors and she were the patient movie-goer. _

_There, swaddled in soft, baby pink, bundled in her mother's arms. Tears shone in the new morning light, falling across her mother's cheek. _

"_Don't cry, mom," She shushed, but her words were lost as the image flew out of focus._

_Again, as the world cleared, still shaded in dusty lavender, she focused in upon herself, coming home from first grade, her mother cleaning her bloodied lip._

"_They made fun of me, mama," She listened to her tiny voice squeak, "They said my daddy never loved me. They said he left me 'cause I'm ugly."_

"_Oh, honey," Her mother dropped the soiled washcloth and enveloped her daughter in her frail arms, "Don't you ever think that. Your daddy left because of him, not you. Don't you listen to them."_

_The dark haired little head bobbed as the iris of the world flexed, closing only to open to a brighter, violet realm. _

"_You could go and visit him." She heard her little voice reason as she sat snug in her grandmother's guest bed. _

"_Oh, no," Grandmother Kim shook her head with absolution, "I'd rather he remember me the way I was."_

"_Gramma," She whispered to herself, watching the scene unfold, "I miss you."_

_She watched flashes of Alice and Edward, up on the hill while she herself played with Jack, the rambunctious pup. The haze of purple began to lift and she watched the images transcend to something she had never seen before. _

_She was standing in the mirror, but it was not her. This girl, no, this young woman was too tall, too slender and too… old, to be herself. She looked nearly as old as Alice, her long raven hair cut in clean horizontal locks. Her bangs swept over her forehead in a clean straight line and it caused her bright blue eyes to sparkle, framed with luscious thick lashes. Her mouth was bright red and sloped in a pleasing cupid's bow. _

_She was beautiful. _

"_Melanie."_

_Turning, she only watched the slow swirl of the violet smoke all around her._

_ "__**Melanie**__." _

_She turned to the mirror and watched as it dissolved into thin air._

"_**MELANIE.**__"_

_Two bright lights flooded her vision and her body froze._

"_**MELANIE!"**_

"No!" Melanie cried, feeling two flat palms forcing her back into a sea of rippling warmth around her.

"Shhh, it's okay!" Alice whispered, tears in her voice. "It's alright Melanie. You're safe."

"W-where am I?" She breathed, her voice hoarse from misuse.

"You're in the hospital," she explained, "Bart's car ran you over. It's a miracle you survived."

"Car?" Melanie fought within her foggy mind to recall. "Edward! Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Alice shushed her quickly, "And don't worry about Bart, he and his friend were arrested for DUI and they're going away for a long, long time. Don't you worry."

"Oh," Melanie slumped over, feeling her body convulse in pain. "What happened to me?"

"You've broken some ribs," Alice soothed her by rubbing up and down her left arm, her tired face shining in the room's dull light. "And you have a major concussion. But it could have been worse. Mel, it could have been so much worse."

"Don't cry," Melanie smiled sadly as Alice's face contorted in pain.

"It's all my fault," Alice moaned, hiding her face behind her hands, "I called the shop and you must have heard the message and came running. Oh, please forgive me Melanie."

"It's not your fault," Melanie sighed, "Bart was the one to run me over. Not you. At least now we won't have to worry about him."

"Do you always have to be so positive?" Alice sobbed and Melanie laughed, taking her hand and squeezing it softly.

"Hey, sleeping beauty's up," Michael grinned, opening the door for Sophie, who rushed to her daughter, "C'mon, Alice, let's go get her some lunch."

"Okay," Alice gave Melanie a quick kiss on the forehead before taking her uncle's hand.

"Mom," She heard Melanie speak before the door shut behind them, "I want to cut my bangs."

"Whatever you want, baby." Sophie sobbed.

**That Night:**

"Edward?" Alice called, hearing the door creak behind her as it closed.

Hearing no reply, she tread the entry room lightly, listening for any feathered footsteps or snipping of shears. Reaching the ballroom door, she slid it open ever so gently and felt a smile spread upon her lips. There he was sitting alone at the piano bench, staring soulfully into the dark wood of the instrument. The light from the distant sunset bled in through the stained glass windows surrounding the room, shrouding the man in an eerie glow of purple and blue.

"Hello, Edward." She slid her arm around his as she sat beside him.

"Is she okay?" He whispered hoarsely, his eyes fluttering to hers, so full of fear.

"Yes," Alice nodded, "She's fine. She's worried about you."

He smiled softly and leaned his cheek into the crown of her head as she lay her own upon his shoulder. She smelled his scent of faded leather and yellowing leather bound books. Edward was enjoying his own moment with her as well, inhaling the scent of ocean breeze that radiated from her, feeling his mind come to a long awaited peace again.

"Alice?" He asked suddenly, stirring her from her pensive thoughts.

"Hmm?" She broke away, staring into his eyes, so dark and full of light, even as the sun vanished before them.

"Will you play that song for me?" He asked shyly, his lips curling upwards bashfully.

Her fingers splayed across the keys, settling into his melody, stretching lazily as they danced. Closing his eyes, Edward listened to her play, finding it hard to breathe. Alice felt something rising in her that she had not felt in so long, she felt peace.

"I love you."

**A/N: This is not the end! Not yet, at least. Still one last installment to come: the prologue. I never end without one. Until then, please review! It makes me feel like I accomplish something when I write this. Thanks and hope you liked it!**


	15. Epilogue

_**A/N: This is the final installment of this story *tears up* and I want to thank all the reviewers. Yes, I know the last chapter is the epilogue, I happened to be very, VERY tired when I wrote the last chapter, so thanks for the reminder ha ha. As for the story, I would like to dedicate it to a special apprentice of mine. Thank you Firebirds Apprentice, I love you my sister. **_

_**Please enjoy:**_

**Epilogue**

**Six months later…**

"They're here!" Melanie's excited cries echoed in the vast mansion, rippling upwards to the distant attic.

Turning her head to the window, Alice watched as Michaels truck pulled up the drive, stopping just outside the front gates. Grinning, she gave her love a quick kiss on his frozen cheek, whispering reassuring confidences. With great haste did she fly down the stairs. Melanie met her at the door, dressed in a soft pink dress; the very one she wore to the wedding.

"Wha's all this 'bout?" Michael swung Alice up in a hug when he and Sophie entered the castle with wide eyes.

"We found the note on the door." Sophie said, kissing her daughter tenderly before crossing her arms expectantly.

"How was the honeymoon?" Alice tried to change the subject genially.

"Hot." Michael grinned, wrapping an arm around his bride with a sly smile.

Sophie rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. "And wet. Hawaii is rather dreary in its winter. But we had a blast."

"Mind telling us what on earth is going-" Michael began but stopped short when the familiar sound of metal snip, snip, snips cascaded down from the corners of the dark castle.

"Michael, Sophie," Alice began, taking Melanie's hand and standing at the foot of the stairs as a silhouetted figure slinked down them with steady, whispering steps. "There's someone we want to you meet."

Michael's face flashed with worry, anger and confusion before melting away into a sort of dazed awe as Sophie dealt with much the same emotions.

"This," Alice gestured to her love, "Is Edward.

The stunned silence was broken only by the gentle voice that chimed out with irreversible etiquette.

"Hello."

**The End**


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